Do you find change threatening or exciting?
Do you view change as an opportunity for a better life or adversity to be overcome?
It seems to me that all change falls on a continuum between those two extremes.
Where it falls depends on many factors, including:
- What or Who initiated the change.
- The degree of the change.
- Complexity of the change.
- Perceptions of the post change environment.
- Our experience of similar changes.
- Our level of comfort with our pre-change situation.
- Which of our personal core values will be affected by the change.
- Familiarity with previous similar changes.
I am sure you could think of more, but that list gives us something to consider.
Some impending changes can invoke both positive and negative emotions at the same time. Consider a person about to start a more demanding but higher paying, more prestigious job. I have been in that position and felt excited about the rewards of more money, more status and a better company car, but nervous about the higher demands on my time, skills and performance.
Other changes can be so dramatically life-changing that we can only concentrate on surviving for the next few hours or days. We cannot contemplate the full ramifications of the changes until the dust settles and we assess our situation and resources. I have experienced that too. Survivors of wars, fires, natural disasters, business failures, divorce or other adversity would have similar experiences.
We frequently hear the cry “Change is the only constant”, that may be so, but it does not automatically follow that all change is good. A look at how teachers ability to enforce discipline and high standards in schools has been eroded, is a prime example of changes that are having negative effects on generations of students. So is the move by big government into dictating the size of carbonated beverages containers.
Sometimes we have to embrace change and move with the times even if at first we are reluctant to follow the trend. At other times when faced with changes that we know are not good, we have to change ourselves and become more assertive, stand up for our principles and resist.
The Internet age has exposed us to changes in what and how we read, gather information, communicate, do business, buy goods and services, form opinions and promote ourselves, our views and causes. Most of the changes are good and enrich our lives, but too much change too quickly can be overwhelming, that is where discernment is needed.
Changes are not necessarily good for every one, what improves your life, might not improve mine, might even be harmful.
You might have noticed one change that I introduced today, that is to the header and colour scheme of this blog. When I changed the theme late last year, I was aiming for a relatively plain, uncluttered design. I achieved that but felt that it was too plain without a header photo or graphic and the default grey rocks photo a bit dull and dreary. I also felt that the grey menu background and heading were too bland. Feedback from several readers indicated similar sentiments.
I deliberately kept away from a jazzy header graphic and settled for a word cloud of values.
What do you think? How do you view change and what are your thoughts on the changes to the blog design? I would love to hear your opinion. Leave a comment, or send me an email.
Wishing you success,
p.s. For an explanation of some changes over the last 2000 years and a prediction of some that are approaching right now, read The Pendulum by Roy Williams and Michael Drew. (affiliate link)