A Certainty of Life

Wow, I was reminded once again this week that one thing that is certain in life is change. Just when everything was running smoothly, BAM!, another unexpected change entered my life. Though at times change can be frustrating and scary, it can also cause us to dig deep inside ourselves to find that unknown strength and hidden potential within us. Change also often has a way of forcing us out of our comfort zone, challenging us to be better. Certainly this unexpected change in my life has done that for me and though I didn’t see it coming, I’ve learned from it. Below are four things I’ve learned on how to most effectively deal with sudden change in our lives.

#1 Be Prepared

Change can happen at any time and can come in many forms. Each day we should proactively prepare for change. This can be difficult as most changes are nearly impossible to predict but there are always things we can do in our life to prepare us for the unexpected. Unfortunately, I was caught off guard and was not as prepared as I could have been and therefore was reminded of this valuable lesson. As we search for ways to always be prepared, we will be able to handle and deal with change much more effectively.

#2 Look for the Positive

Unexpected change often results in stress and despair however every change can have a silver lining, we just have to look for it. Seeking for the potential good that can come from an unexpected change even when it is difficult will allow us to most successfully deal with difficult change. When I first heard the news of this unexpected change in my life I was instantly shocked and disappointed but I did not allow those feelings to linger as I quickly turned my attention to the potential possibilities this change could open up. Also, instead of only dwelling on the here and now, we need to think about how an unanticipated change may be good for us in the long run.

#3 Maintain Perspective

Though the change may be shocking and disappointing right now—these feelings most likely won’t last forever. And though the change may have long-term implications, overtime, it will become old news and most likely will not last forever. Again when I learned about this sudden change in my life, I first dwelt on the here and now but after a short time I opened my vision to what this change may mean 5 or 10 years from now. Doing this helped me realize the change really wasn’t as big a deal as I was making it and overtime will probably someday be somewhat insignificant. We must remember that change will not kill us and only causes grief in our life if we allow it to. Taking a long-term perspective toward difficult change will help us not only cope but overcome and conquer a difficult change in our life.

#4 Embrace it

Once a change has occurred, learn to embrace it by putting it behind you and moving forward. Though often we do not have control over unexpected changes in our lives, we are responsible for how we react and act to change. We do control our attitude and if we view change as an opportunity and challenge, we will more successfully navigate through it. When we embrace change we do all we can within our own power to make the change work for us. And each time we are successful in dealing with a difficult change in our lives, we gain experience and are more able to overcome future challenges.

Learning to be prepared, looking for the positive while maintaining our perspective, and then embracing it, will allow us to be stronger and more successful leaders when dealing with an unexpected change. As we learn from and prepare for change in our lives, we will be ready to meet much of life’s unexpected challenges and opportunities. Indeed, though we may not realize it at the time, change is often exciting and wonderful!