Do you embrace change or resist it? As you probably know, the world is constantly changing. And not only the world but so are you... we all are! The human body replaces cells at a staggering rate each day; according to Wikipedia, between 50 and 70 billion cells die each day due to apoptosis (a process of programmed cell death that occurs in multicellular organisms) in the average human adult and are subsequently replaced with new cells. That’s pretty amazing.
Change is an unavoidable part of life, nature, and business... whether you like it or not ;). That being said, it certainly doesn’t make dealing with change easier for some people, while others seem to float through whatever life throws at them with relative ease. How do they do it?
As a mindful leader, you’ve probably dealt with your fair share of unexpected and sometimes challenging instances of change. You’ve probably also learned how to deal with change constructively, but how do you teach your people to do the same thing? The ability to handle change well and even embrace it is a life skill that everyone can benefit from greatly, so here are five steps to begin embracing change yourself so that you can inspire those you lead to do the same.
Five Steps to Embracing Change
1. Be aware that change is inevitable and everything is temporary. Whether it’s your relationships, career, business model, family, health, or virtually any other aspect of your life, nothing stays the same. Being aware of this is the very first step to embracing change, so remember... everything is temporary.
2. Acceptance is key. If you’re able to get to a place of accepting that change will happen no matter what, you can also learn hand-in-hand not to have expectations that are set in stone. The more flexibility you have when dealing with changes, the less stressful those changes will be.
3. Change fosters growth. Many times, changes can hold valuable lessons that may be difficult to see at first. However, when you allow yourself to accept change, you will begin to find meaning in the various things that have happened in your life and learn from them, which in turn helps you to grow stronger and happier overall.
4. Life never stops teaching you. The only constant in life is change – this saying hits home with a particularly profound impact after you begin to understand and accept change. As you go through this process, whether for the first time or the 99th, changes become easier to deal with, problems easier to solve, and flexibility easier to practice.
5. Embrace change and everything that comes with it. The lessons you learn, the knowledge you gain, and the experiences you gather are all life working for you to be your best self... if you should choose to accept that challenge =).
Change isn’t something that anyone should fear. Rather, think of it as an exercise in personal empowerment when it happens. Once you’ve gone through the process of change a few times, you’ll probably find that you feel at peace and even courageous about whatever life brings your way. What’s even more impressive is that, as a mindful leader, your attitude of peace and empowerment can positively influence the environment in which you lead.
What are you waiting for? Try changing something small in your daily routine to better your life and put yourself through the amazing process of change on purpose. As always, continue learning and leading mindfully.
