Have you ever paused from being an adult to enjoy being a kid with your own children or grandchildren? A while ago I went to a popular Midwest amusement park with my family. Sometimes when the pressures of life are hitting it is fun to embrace being a child with your own children. Unfortunately, as we get older the fearlessness that existed when we were teenagers and in our early twenties can fade. What my body allowed me to do in my early twenties it now yells back at me “you fool” with a bout of pain or other unique bodily symptoms to remind me I am not indestructible.
So what does this have to do with change other than me not enjoying the fact I am getting older and my body is slowly changing while my mind does not embrace it? As I was at this park it had two elements, a park with roller coasters, and other rides, but it also had a water park. I thoroughly enjoy roller coasters and I chose to brave a 60+ MPH roller coaster with a gigantic drop. As we crested the top of the hill I looked down from the front seat and wondered what I was thinking. The car roared down one hill, up another, around corners and continues for a thrilling adventure I had no choice but to embrace because I could not get off (apart from a heart attack or other extreme medical emergency).
Sometimes this is what change feels like for us. Life happens and we have no choice, but to embrace it and figure out how we will respond.
We are in our job, click, lock we just sat in the seat of the roller coaster and there is no turning back because we need to support ourselves or we have invested too much into the business to look back.
Click, click, click . . . we start to climb up the hill of the track slowly as we build our business or fulfill our role in the department we hear rumblings of changes that need to occur because results are not where they need to be.
Vroom, whoosh we suddenly are thrown full throttle into the speed of change as business slows tremendously or the boss says: “it is time to change or we change you.”
This is one of the most difficult parts of the process. How will we respond? Will we push back and fight against the change thrust upon us by arguing how everything is fine if we stay the same? Will we deny the facts that business is slowing and not seek out help to change? Will we scream in anger and try to increase our control of what we can in hopes of avoiding the inevitable?
There is another option: embrace the change, swallow hard and see this as an opportunity to grow. It may not be easy, but in the end we will take one step closer to becoming more of the person we were made to be as we learn and grow.
Change can be a thrill, a terror or a combination like on a roller coaster. In the beginning it usually is terrifying especially when we do not initiate it. If we embrace it, trust, and keep a positive growth mindset ultimately we come to the end and like my son we may even say “it was awesome!”
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