Embracing change to obtain your dreams

If you don’t embrace change, you can’t realize your dreams?

Everything in the world changes, whether you embrace it or not. If change doesn’t come, you become static or stuck in one spot. There is no better example than studying the human species. For instance, a person can never lay in bed for an extended period. Your bones begin to weaken, and could receive serious health issues that can have a damaging impact on your body. The truth is, we are designed to grow, move and constantly change.

Continuous change is what makes us and this world go round. But, if we understand this philosophy of change--why do we hate change in our lives? Are we such a creature of habit that we can’t embrace change to move forward in life? Everything in this world changes at some point. In fact, there's something in your life changing at this very moment you're not aware of yet. It doesn’t matter if you are prepared or not; you'll have to deal with it at some point.

Change is indeed inevitable. You can’t “stop” change. Good or bad, change is here to stay. It's how you embrace the change that determines your perspective on the outcome. For example, take a person who is terminated from a job and has a hard time finding new employment--spending time relishing in the perceived failure will restrain their growth. On the other hand, the individual who accepts the change (the inevitable) and spends time focusing on overcoming the challenges, will emerge victorious and well prepared for future challenges. The person who refuses to embrace the inevitable (change) in any situation, finds themselves in more misfortune than in fortune. These are individuals who generate an endless energy of victimization, fear, or complacency. It’s a vicious cycle that is hard to break because all they want is to keep things the same.

How in the world would you ever get better without change? How would you reach your goals, if not for some form of change? Old habits lead to the same results. A person who isn’t committed to change will only develop patterns of incomplete personal and professional milestones throughout their lifetime. They would rather avoid difficult change, instead of taking the bull by the horns and riding that baby until the goal is achieved.

I love to use the example of childbirth when coaching clients in change management. Pregnancy is very painful and long, but the beautiful result is a life form that you love the instant you lay eyes on it. What a wonderful feeling and not many people have ever experienced the childbirth process and never shed a tear when you see that beautiful result of the long-term change. Most women forget all about the pain over the previous nine months once they hold that child in their arms for the very first time.

The same can be said for the entrepreneur. The first five or so years of the startup can be brutal and downright painful. You have a string of wins, then you experience a long period of pain and loss until most entrepreneurs give up on their dreams after the first few years. However, those few mentally strong fighters who accept the process of change will enjoy the spoils of success as they have become resilient and embrace change as part of the journey to their goals. Try to answer this quick question. Name one successful person who has never gone through some form of adverse change? If you can find one who's never dealt with change (positive or negative), find someone else to model your life on. I promise--he or she will never be able to coach you through the tough times, and I would hate to be there when the first unexpected challenge arises. Change in our lives is like a fine wine. As we experience changes over time, we get better. One thing you can count on, change is happening. It’s part of life and there’s nothing you can do but teach yourself how to embrace it.

If you are looking for a change in 2017, but not prepared to accept the extreme version that comes along with it, you probably are not ready to succeed. If you want to meet your goals and experience your dreams coming to fruition--prepare yourself for good and the bad that's associated with it. No matter which situation comes your way, accept, embrace, learn, and overcome the change. This is the only way you can build the right emotional connection to challenges associated with change and obtain your personal and professional dreams.

Quick Tips:

1 Each day, wake up and commit to overcoming any adverse change that may be waiting on you throughout the day. In fact, be grateful for the opportunity to grow through your challenge. After 30-days of this practice, you’ll see how powerful this exercise can be in your life.
2 Accept the positive change that is on tap for you. Speak more positive change in existence. Dominate the negative with verbal affirmations overcoming the adverse change.
3 Learn something new each day. Learning is the key to overcoming negative change. Look for the bright side or the life lesson within the change. The next time it comes around, you are prepared and can quickly overcome with more confidence.
4 Don’t be afraid to succeed. Fear can control how you deal with change. Learn how to summons the courage from deep inside and draw a line in the sand. Face it head on and get it behind you. Build an emotional connection with good or bad change that will allow you to continue forward. Be resilient and relentless in your efforts to get past the challenge and receive the rewards of success.
5 Lastly, tackle each situation with a purpose. Know “why” you need to overcome negative change and use this as fuel to get you through. Write down the action items as you accomplish small successes from your change. Journal the experience. There is nothing like looking back and reflecting on decisions that helped you overcome an adverse situation.

Remember, for 2017 to be the year of positive change in your life, you must be ready to fight for it. You have to be mentally prepared to accept the “good, bad and ugly” that comes with change. For every positive challenge, there is a cynical challenge close by. That is what we call life. Once you master your emotions toward change—you can conquer the world. Your happiness on this earth depends on your ability to adapt to change. Don’t just talk about how you plan to make this your breakout year, embrace the change (positive and adverse), LIVE IT, and DOMINATE THE DAY!

Scott A. Coulter, CSS