What is it about change that can either strike fear into our hearts or fill us with hope? Depending on how you view it change can be good or bad, welcome or scary, exhilarating or overwhelming. But, no matter which way you look at it, change isn’t for chickens.
There’s no denying we’ve experienced a brave change sweeping over the landscape of Alberta politics recently. Our 29th provincial election resulted in an “out with the old, in with the new” type of change, with a surprise NDP majority ousting a 44-year long Conservative government.
So, how are Albertans handling this sudden change? From what I’ve heard and seen, some see it as exhilarating and an expansive breath of fresh air, others find it alarming and frightening, and then there are those who are still in shock, completely gob-smacked that such a change could happen at all. It seems a different political party at Alberta’s helm is definitely creating uncertainty and discomfort amongst many.
Lucky for us, though, there is no shortage of advice on how to best address a big change like this. Countless books and articles have been published on the subject, including several by esteemed authors such as Stephen Covey, Peter Drucker, Tony Robbins, Deepak Chopra, and Eckhart Tolle. One book that stands out for me is “Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard,” by brothers Chip and Dan Heath.
Examining why it is so hard to make lasting change in our lives, our companies, and our communities, “Switch” hit the Wall Street Journal and New York Times best seller lists in 2010. According to the Heath brothers, psychologists have found that the primary obstacle to making lasting change is a conflict that’s built into our brains. How so? It’s all because our rational mind and emotional mind are in a constant fight for control. When our rational mind wants diet and exercise; our emotional mind wants a cookie, and on and on. The Heaths explain that until these vying forces are united, the tension they create will doom any attempts at change. But, they also tell us that once this unity is achieved, dramatic results can come quickly.
Some of our modern thinkers have had a lot to say about change. Like John F. Kennedy who said, “Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.” Highly successful American industrialist J. Paul Getty is known for saying, “In times of rapid change, experience could be your worst enemy.” Dr. Wayne Dyer, renowned author and speaker on self-development and spiritual growth, tell us, “If we change the way we look at things, the things we look at change.”
Sadly, human nature seems to prefer experiencing “same old, same old” over exploring new and undiscovered shores. Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t, right? But, isn’t this default approach a chicken way of dealing with, or, more to the point, not dealing with change? I think it is.
Inspirational leader Deepak Chopra has some useful advice on change so we can choose a different approach to deeply ingrained habits. He claims the secret to change is to stop fighting ourselves and to give our brains new pathways. This is so that the default reaction of using old, familiar pathways will no longer be our only choice.
All it takes to create a new pathway, according to Chopra, is to take back our power to choose by making a different choice than our fallback position, then repeating often. Repetition, apparently, makes our new pathways stronger and able to make a switch from our old, familiar, and deep grooves of habit.
Sounds simple, right? Not necessarily. If it were, I doubt there’d be so many books and courses and speakers all dealing with the subject of change. One of our most popular comedians, Billy Crystal, had this to say about change and I think he’s got it right: “Change is such hard work.”
I’m also thinking it’s worth all the hard work given what ancient Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu so long ago and so wisely said. “If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.”
Finding the courage to embrace and deal with change in a positive way—now that’s in our best interest.
For more in your best interest, follow Sheelagh on Twitter @sheesays.
