The Wisdom of Changing Before You Have To
Life is in constant flow. Change is happening every day, all day, all around us. There are different aspects of change that we go through in our journey through life. There are those changes that we plan for and then there are those that are unplanned for. There are changes that change us and then there are those that have no impact on our lives. There is change that is multi-dimensional, cutting through many areas of our lives, and then there is change that affects only one aspect of our lives.
All these different facets of change reveal to us that change will always be with us. What matters is whether we have any control over the changes that are happening in and around us. The key to successfully navigating change is in our ability to be strategic about change. Having a strategy means being wise enough to change before we have to. Yes, there are changes that force us to change and then there are changes that we put in place to ensure that we are leading the process of change. Every human being has that ability to lead change in his or her personal life.
If we are going to change before we have to, we must lead change in our lives. This begins with being open to new ideas. The process of learning and adapting to new things enables us to have a sort of malleability that allows us to be stretched, extended and shaped without breaking. Changes that force you to change can easily break you. Changes that you initiate cannot break you because you are driving and leading the process of change. Strategic change gives you an elasticity that enables you to grow in measured steps that increase your potential and capacity in life.
The world will always be changing. If you limit yourself to what you knew and what you were comfortable with earlier in your life, you will grow increasingly frustrated with your surroundings as you age. This is because everything will be changing about you but you will be stagnant and unable to flow with the changes. People who live with an “I’ve-arrived-mentality” usually buckle up when life pressures them in areas that have not been developed. Being wise enough to continually embrace change and grow in all areas of life is the mark of a golden life (Gold is the most malleable metal).
If you will make your mark in life, you must embrace the wisdom of changing before you have to. Having a strategic plan for changing consistently is the first step towards this. For a strategic step-by-step plan for changing before you have to please look at my post from December 28, 2006: Forget Resolutions … plan ahead!
