Most of the time I write an article with my tongue firmly planted in my cheek. I include such taglines as above for the sake of grabbing an audience who otherwise would ignore any article by most authors based solely on their belief that the reader is far too busy or their time is far too valuable then to sit through an offering such as this.
Grant it it’s not a “best of times, worst of times” hook but it does get you looking. So why do we feel so strongly about change? When we were little change meant we were growing up. We got taller, we were stronger, we started to understand more of the world around us, and as we developed many of us felt empowered. Maybe around the time we were able to drive, or vote, or buy a drink. Then this magical thing happens to a lot of people where they become cynical. We begin to see change as a bad thing where someone wants to take what I have. Sometimes it’s from the baggage of the same growing up experience which leaves us scarred to what others think or say about us, or even do to us which prevents us from comprehending change as a good thing.
Don’t get me wrong I am not a Pollyanna. When the tax laws change I don’t do a jig and say whoopee! Some changes are going to leave a lasting impression on us. It’s how we allow the changes to be perceived that helps us determine what we do with the experience. To some degree we place the experiences in life in a couple very black and white categories. This was good, that was bad. That made me feel good, this one hurt my feelings.
Shakespeare once wrote “nothing is neither good nor bad but thinking makes it so”, simply put ol’ Bill was pointing to the power of our perception. My initial responses to things isn’t always positive but by trying to stop a moment, take in the issue, and then being open to possibilities there have been many times when things which felt foul turned out to be fair. If anything it gave me an opportunity to watch others as they expressed their responses to the changes. By watching others, I was able to gauge their ability to handle change and even model behavior of others I felt best modeled professionalism.
