“Change is inevitable… but growth is optional”
I’ve had this very simple, yet poignant quote on my office wall for years and I fully understand and live by it.
Life is full of change. It’s going to happen whether we’re calling the shots or not. Of course, we’d all like to be in the position to call the shots, but that’s rarely the way things go.
I wrote a chapter about “Change” in my upcoming book, Standing Above the Crowd, and in it I share some ideals and thoughts on how best to deal with change.
I recently went through some employment change, and since millions of people are out of work, I wanted to describe how I’m dealing with it. Just because you might be unemployed doesn’t mean that you’re unemployable. I don’t know about you, but when I go through the inevitable change… I choose to grow!
- Don’t take anything personally
o Rarely are things personal in nature (especially when it comes to business) so we should try our best not to take change personally. I know it’s difficult, but the less you take things personally, the sooner you can move on. Be sure to keep your “thoughts” to yourself no matter had much you’d like to let someone “have a piece of your mind”. Always “take the high road”.
- Don’t make assumptions
o It’s so easy to assume this and to assume that. Ask the questions and get the answers and be okay with it. You may not believe the answers that you hear, but at least you have an answer and you no longer have to assume. Plus, remember that when we a-s-s-u-m-e, we make an “ass” out of “u” and “me”, and we don’t want that to be the case.
- Realize and accept your share of the responsibility/blame/fault
o There will be few times when anyone is 100% at fault. After you accept your role in the situation, don’t be too eager to lay the rest of the blame on anyone else. Sometimes it takes time for people to realize the role that they play. That’s okay, take your share and move on. Be the “bigger person”!
- Nothing in life is permanent
o No matter how great your job is/was, when you look at the “big picture” you’ll be able to see that it’s one of many, many experiences and phases that you’ll go through in life. When I was an NBA player, I always kept in mind that being an NBA player was a temporary thing and that it is my stepping stone onto bigger and better things. Being an NBA player was just something that I did; it never was who I was!
- Why me, why me???
o Make sure that after you have your moment of going through the various stages of loss (grief, sadness, denial, acceptance, etc.) that you pick yourself up, dust yourself off and keep on going. Life is too short to stay in a pity party or be the victim for too long. Tell yourself that “I’m going to have a good cry, go on a vacation to get away from it all, tell “my side of the story”, pamper myself, and put it behind me, and then get back on track asap”.
- Remember, that when one door closes, another opens
o I just finished a great book by Wayne Dyer “It’s Never Crowed Along the Extra Mile” and in it he says that we need to “be open to everything and be attached to nothing”. If we stay open to new opportunities and let go of the past, we’ll be able to move towards those windows of opportunities that are “right in front of us” and that we might miss if we’re not open or are hanging on to the past. I lined up several wonderful opportunities for myself by the time I finished my commute home because I was pro-active and asking for help…. You can do the same!
Written by James Donaldson, author
Standing Above the Crowd
James Donaldson
President & Owner Professional Speaker, Entrepreneur Small Business Coach
Author of Standing Above the Crowd:
Executing Your Game Plan To Become The Best You Can Be In Sports, Life & Business
The Donaldson Clinic (an outpatient physical therapy clinic)
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Note:
James Donaldson is the author of “Standing Above The Crowd” (Executing Your Game Plan To Become The Best You Can Be In Sports, Life & Business). He is also an accomplished motivational/inspirational speaker in which he shares his strategies and stories that he has utilized to become a “High Achiever” in lengthy (20 years) careers in professional sports and being a small business entrepreneur with The Donaldson Clinic. He recently ran for the office of Mayor in the City of Seattle and has been passionately involved in various communities around the Seattle metropolitan area since graduation from Washington State University ’79.
If you’re interested in having James come and speak to your group of young adults, business entrepreneurs, aspiring political and community leaders, and athletic teams, please contact him at JamesD@StandingAboveTheCrowd.com and or leave a personal message for him at 1-800-745-3161. Keep up with him and read about how he is reaching out and making a difference in the lives of so many around the world at www.StandingAboveTheCrowd.com
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