I’m not sure why ‘necessary’ and ‘evil’ were ever written together. Change isn’t evil. Necessary, however, is what it is. You might recall the song
Changes by a wildly creative man named David Bowie. He sang “ch-ch-ch-ch-changes”…“still don't know what I was waitin' for”…..“turn and face the strange”. He knew what he was singing about. More than that, he lived this truth and his ability to face the strange kept his career twisting and turning and that’s why he’s known for an incredible body of work. Just like Bowie, your ability to master change and keep it active in your life is what will keep you vital.
Change is a life force.
It keeps life in motion not stagnant. Seasons change, the climate changes, and people have to change with their environment. Back in time Neanderthal man had a short, stocky and strong body. As the physical environment changed, so did man. Through different Stone Ages from Palaeolithic to Mesolithic to Neolithic, the weather changed dramatically. Warmer weather meant certain animals thrived or moved and the surviving plants either had conditions that supported their growth or challenged it. Reliance on hunting became less relevant when seafood was an option and then the move to agriculture was game changer towards self sufficiency. No matter what the age, stage or century, there’s always change that’s driving the way we live and who we are. Today survival isn’t necessitated by your fitness, just your ability to adapt to change.
Macro versus micro.
If your external environment is the business you own or work in, you’ll also experience game changing conditions that are out of your control. A new invention by your competitor might force you to reinvent your product line and destabilise your people’s confidence in your product. Or a surprise redundancy might make you rethink your next career move and leave you with time on your hands. In either case you might have missed a subtle indicator that there was a change coming. It can happen if you think tomorrow will be the same as yesterday, or when you are too invested and refuse to be truly present to the moment.
The external or macro situation aside, you aren’t powerless. You do have a say on the micro level and can your clothes, jobs, houses, relationships, mind, opinions, perspectives and most importantly, yourself. Changing 'you' is the inner change that you can master and own. This inner game is what makes toast of the macro situation, no matter whether it turns for or against you.
Resist change, discover flow.
When you resist change you create blocks. Just like an electrical current that faces resistance, the force is against you. The opposite of this is to move into the flow of change and make life easier on yourself. Instead live with the current and be a conductor for change. Life is easiest and most natural when it's in flow. In Living with Flow author Mihaly Csikszentmihaly highlights that being in flow is being in a conscious state, where your attention is focused like a laser beam. To experience this state you have to stay present, in the here and now. When you know what you are looking for it tends to show up. Like the car you last bought – didn’t you see it everywhere after your purchase?
It's easy to resist change because often change is seen as a cousin of pain. If this is your view then what needs to change is the perspective that the pain isn't worth it or that you need to run from it. This so-called pain is a catalyst for growth. However growth doesn't have to be painful at all, the only thing that makes it so is when you fight it. Take the stoic wisdom: 'The impediment to action advances the action. What stands in the way becomes the way’. In any circumstance where you feel stuck or not know your next move, ask 'what's my obstacle?’ and then ‘how can it help me?’. Your next step will lie in that answer.
Change is movement.
Business is the same as people and life. Cycles occur in business just as circadian rhythms respond to light and dark during the course of a day. Approach business and life with an awareness of what’s going on around you and be in charge of your inner game to master change and grow.
"If you always put limit on everything you do, physical or anything else. It will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee
Your ability to make changes during the course of your life will save you from periods of being stuck. Being stuck is no fun. Just like the game ‘stuck in the mud’, once you’re tagged you’re literally stuck until released. Being stuck isn't the optimal position in the game. Life is a game too, it's to be played. You’re not an observer, you’re a player and in any game, you need to make your next move otherwise the game comes to a halt. The fun is had when the play is in motion, not when the game ends.
Work on your change muscle regularly.
Practice change on a small scale to build your tolerance to change. Break out of routines. Do something different every day. Walk a new way to the shops, park somewhere different, choose a different meal from your favourite restaurant, or just do different things to save from being stuck in a rut. In doing this you’ll have greater confidence when bigger changes come your way or need to be made. You’ll have experience with this change beast and know you can tame it.
*Article first published on LinkedIn 22 January 2016
