How would you react to someone who says: “We need to change the way we are doing this,” or: “Your routine in work is going to be changed, as we introduce new software in the office”? If you are like most of us, your instant reaction would be hesitant, questioning, and not at ease.
Researches have shown that 80% of the population is reluctant to a change in their routine. Fortunately, I am not one of them, but completely understand you, and other people who are struggling with change, at work, at home, with family and more.
I would like to share with you a few tips that would help you understand that CHANGE is something we all need to undergo, at some point to time, for our growth. It is part of life, part of our maturity.
3 Successful Ways to Handle Change
“A seed would not turn into a plant, if it did not want to change. There should be force within it to let it come out as a plant and then a tree. An egg will not change into a chicken if it is not willing to apply the force within. A force from within will give a life, whereas a force from outside would only break it.”
Evidently, we need to have a force within to initiate a change in ourselves. Without change, we cannot grow. Without growth, we cannot progress.
Handling a change in us is all about our PERCEPTION towards a change. We always decide to change, only thinking about the possibilities that lie ahead! When change is forced upon us, we rebel, just like kids, or teenagers. That is how we start to look up every reason to prove that the change imposed on us will not work for us.
Handling change? Struggling to accept it? Here are 3 tips you can apply immediately to any change in your life:
- Attitude – Altitude If you have a positive attitude, your ability to handle the change will be easier. We should understand that things need to change, for us to evolve, as a person. We should make ourselves comfortable that a change is just a chance for us to grow.
- Live the moment Live in the present moment, but plan for the future. If you keep thinking about the past, and rethinking every possible scenario in the future, then change can sound miserable to you. For example, if you are undergoing a break up in the relationship, please understand that holding on is being brave, but letting go and moving on is often what makes us stronger and happier. Enjoy the moment and do not worry about the relationship that you let it go.
- Look at the big picture Try this: take a stone from your garden or from outside and put it near to your eye. Probably it will block your WHOLE sight. When you hold one possibility, on problem and obsess on it, it would look as if it is blocking your whole view on things. Now, step back and look at the big picture. This will help you in removing yourself from the problem and be open to many possibilities, often times, possibilities you did not even imagine!
Children are handling change usually as their parents do. They learn from your reaction and adopt it. One of the skills that every parent should teach their kids is to handle change. Think today, how you can encourage resiliency in your child.
Resiliency is a hot topic in mental health researches. It makes us assume that we have great abilities, attitude, and tendencies which can help us overcome change and survive. This positive personal tendency is called PROTECTIVE FACTOR. Interestingly, studies show that children have these tendencies more than we adults.
Kids, who adapt themselves in a healthy change, tend to have higher self-esteem, are more successful in school, and stand firm when strong winds blow!
Remember that everyone is different; you may find that a certain strategy for handling change works well for you, but not for someone else. Make it your goal to find strategies that work for you, and be a role model for children around you.
