PSU Blog

Get the latest industry insights.

 

Don’t Let Change Set You Back

Change can be exciting and being pushed outside of our comfort zones can be the first step on an exhilarating adventure. But ask any camper caught in rainstorm with a leaky tent and they’ll tell you: adventures aren’t always fun while you’re having them. The most meaningful, transformative and valuable experiences of our lives are often brought on by moments of major change. And these moments, while they’re taking place, can be distinctly unsettling and unpleasant.

If you’re reluctant to throw yourself into the unknown or you tend to back away from change because the difficulty of the experience doesn’t seem worth the ultimate reward, take a minute to rethink that position. Only by embracing new situations can we leave the old ones behind and evolve as employees and as people. Keep these thoughts in mind.

Chances are, you’re not the first person ever to face this situation.

No matter what you’re going through—or what you’re about to go through—you’re not Magellan. You aren’t a pioneer facing an unknown wilderness. There are plenty of people around you who have taken this step before and come out alive on the other side. Make an effort to find out who they are and where they are. If you can, try to glean something from their experience that might inform your own.

Fear causes more problems than the thing you’re afraid of.

Fear is a real thing, and unfortunately, it’s an instinct that pushes us into the path of harm just as often (or more often) than it saves us. Fear can cause an elevated heart rate and shallow breathing, but it can also cause poor judgement. Desperation rarely leads to wise decisions. When fear takes over, find a way to center yourself, deepen your breathing, and retake control of your destiny. Push out phrases like “This offer stinks, but I’ll never get anything better” or “I should hedge my bets or this situation might end in disaster.” Stay calm; disaster and doom are less likely than your fear would have you believe.

Focus on what lies on the other side.

Change is like a wall of thorns, or a moat full of crocodiles, or journey over a snowy mountain, or…you get the idea. The point is, there are difficult obstacles in your path, for sure, but if you focus on the gains that lie beyond the challenge, you’ll get there faster. You’ll also enjoy the experience more.

Help yourself by helping others.

If you’re facing your difficult transition by yourself, that’s one thing, but if you’re making this journey with other people around you, focus on their struggles, not your own. Make the process easier for them. Coach them, rally them, find solutions to their problems and ease for their worries, and you’ll find that your own worries seem to diminish.

For more on how to navigate a difficult change, contact the Cleveland County career management professionals at PSU.

SHARE IT
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Email