We are in a very interesting time full of accelerated change. The pandemic, the markets, the bailouts all create confusion, stress, and the ability to get out or normal routine. This is not going away anytime soon. It is important to remember that we are in constant change every day as we make decisions for ourselves, family, and business. Right now, the change has been thrust upon us and accelerated these decisions and transformation. Our lives and business will be altered significantly the next year and longer. We need to get the thought out of our heads that whenever the “all clear” announcement is made we all jump back into what was our previous lives. That is not happening. What is happening is remodel or major modification of how we look, act, and feel about our lives. and what is important to us.
Change is not the Hard Part
“Change is not the hard part, the decision to change is the hard part.”
As leaders in business, we must embrace this change and be ready to run with it, not run into it. Most of us do not like change. We are comfortable with what we do. Well, many of those decisions have been taken out of our hands. Each of us should be looking at the benefits of what this change is bringing to us, create new productive habits, that will put us in a position to magnify the benefits as this health crisis is brought under control.
Two of the basic success habits that are at the top of my list relate to communication and implementation. I believe as we have shifted gears to our self-contained home office there are a couple of pieces to the success puzzle we could add to our game. These ideas are time tested and have been taught to many of us before. Now we have the opportunity and motivation to create our own change.
Make “old” Connections
I am focused on taking 15 minutes a day to try and call someone that I don’t normally call. The conversation talk would be about something that I am working on that might be of interest to them. There’s no agenda, no expectations, and you’d be surprised what you learn. The question “What should I know about you or your business that I don’t already know? is one way to start the conversation.
Take Small, Concrete Steps to Turn Large Visions into Reality
I am personally an all or nothing personality. Large visions or dreams can be very daunting, which is why so many people will live their lives without even attempting to realize them. It is imperative for me to break it down into small pieces and work each piece. That creates sustained action. It is similar to teaching a new skill. As a coach, when we put in a new defense, we broke it down into pieces. We taught each individual piece and it became the whole. If we tried to put in the whole defense at once, it would not be easy to accomplish and when finished not well done. That is the way I must look at a large task. Break it down, execute a piece, then move to the next.
There are numerous habits that I could list here that you, me or anyone could utilize in their game. This is a lifelong process. It is more than about right here, right now. Successful people are intentional about the things they do every day which sets them up for productivity. They understand that achieving great things doesn’t happen on its own. Success is directly proportionate to your habits.
We are more afraid of change than we should be. I cannot be happy until I accept all of these changes to our lives. I need to concentrate on what I can change in my life and not so much on needs to be changed in the world. I have no control. Resisting change won’t make it disappear — It will make things worse. What we resist, persists.
“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them — that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.” – Lao Tzu
As a society, we screwed up our relationship with change. I’m not saying it’s easy. But treating it as the enemy, rather than our ally, doesn’t help. Change is our natural state of being. By focusing on what we can control, it will feel less stressful and more comfortable to achieve. Successful people are intentional about the things they do every day which sets them up for productivity. They understand that achieving great things doesn’t happen on its own. Success is directly proportionate to your habits.
