Welcome to another day of successful transformations, where the changes ahead offer both a bit of mystery and a touch of exhilaration. While we know the road ahead is often obscured and challenging, we also know that we will eventually come out the other side.
Agencia Change is committed to mentoring and coaching change skills because we know how tough it can be to go through uncertainty and deal with prolonged periods of discomfort. And when circumstances are challenging, the natural instinct for many of us is to tighten the reigns, make plans, implement controls.
In moving beyond the uncertainty of change environments, however, the secret is not in adding greater control, but rather in opening up and letting go.
The Art of Letting Go
There are books on this topic that provide insights on why, how, and when to let go, encouraging us to move forward and never look back. Learning to let go is an art form. During any change there will be parts of our past that can't make it into the future. This is part of the difficulty of course.
Imagine a painter standing at a blank canvas, brush in hand, first thing in the morning, ready to start the new work of art. As soon as paint hits the canvas, it's no longer blank: when they make the first stroke on the blank canvas, they let go of the familiar and set the tone for what the artwork will become.
When we confront change, it may help to view the future as a blank canvas, rather than a fearsome prospect already coloured by the past. Wiping the slate clean, making a fresh start, turning over a new leaf all speak to the future being clean and untouched.
By letting go of what we don't need to bring into the future, we're helping ourselves to be inspired by new possibilities.
Release the Anchors
Fear, comfort zones, outdated beliefs all weigh us down. By analysing what is no longer working for us, we have a stronger ability to let go of what is no longer serving us, and move forward.
Confronting the Unknown
Our change compass might be pointing us towards unfamiliar territory in which we feel we have no knowledge or expertise. But what we do have is a blend of intuition and resilience.
If trusting your intuition seems 'scary' or 'flaky' remember that our intuition is being constantly informed every day by the information we take in about our environment, the people around us, things we hear and see, conversations we have and so on. Our intuition is more informed than you might think.
If you've conditioned yourself to ignore your intuition, you might it's voice a little hard to hear, but it will be in there. And if you're in this position, I wouldn't mind betting that your resilience is extremely well exercised.
Combine these two superpowers to help you navigate the unknown territory.
Follow where the change leads
Adaptability is a key skill. When the change becomes difficult, lean in. When times become a little easier, glide through to the next challenge. Trust that you have it in you to work through every peak and trough - and you will.
Finding the Gold
Transformation is not clear cut. We don't always know how the change will end up. There may be plans in place, we may be changing because we're working towards a set goal; but we all know from experience that life can have a sense of humour and plans can seem to be disrupted at a moment's notice.
Staying focussed on what we set out to achieve will help us keep on track and provide a tangible set of actions we can take through uncertain times. This requires knowing what we're looking for from the change we're experiencing, and watching closely so we don't miss when it happens!
Imagine for example you find yourself affected by a corporate restructuring. Your team is downsizing, and your role is uncertain. The market is volatile, and job security feels like a distant memory.
In this case you can set a primary goal - to find a stable job - and define what that looks like. Acknowledge the uncertainty but don't become paralysed by it! Create a daily routine that contributes towards your goal - like networking, updating your resume and researching potential employers. This routine keeps you anchored. Next you can expand your routine to identify tangible actions that keep you moving forward. Enlarging your network, taking online courses or getting career advice, tailoring your resume to highlight the direction you're heading and setting time aside every day for job search.
Finding the gold in this situation comes from watching closely. Monitoring job sites, industry news, and company announcements not only creates opportunities to apply for jobs; but also sparks creativity. You have nothing to lose in applying for something a little left of centre, but always what you wanted to be doing. Your preparation combined with the position you're in - being unfortunately unemployed - means you are free to seize any weird and wonderful opportunities that appeal to you.
Stay focussed but don't miss the hidden gems
Amid chaos, amazing things can emerge unexpected. Pay attention to unexpected opportunity. These can be breadcrumbs leading us to a better future than the one we originally imagined.
Courage
I'm sure there have been times for most of us when getting out of bed in the morning was an act of will.
Courage is only required when times are hard. So before challenges arise, we're not always sure what we can deal with. It's only once we're experiencing difficulty that we see what we're really made of. So never fear! You can deal with any situation but you won't always know exactly how you're going to do it until you get there.
You've already let go of what you don't want to bring into your new future, you're developing your intuition and using your resilience to get through the unknown elements of change, and you're looking for unexpected opportunities along the way. Courage will keep you going.
Employ your courage to help you research everything you can about the changes occurring. Gather facts rather than making assumptions. Ask questions and seek out the answers you need.
Question everything
Being uninformed about a change allows fear to thrive. While it might seem scary to get to the bottom of what's going on, even a small adjustment in our approach can lead to significant improvements in our circumstances. Step forward with courage and trust that putting one step in front of the other will get you through the change.
Moving Beyond Uncertainty
The core fact that something is about to change is neither positive or negative - it is just different. The reason we can have adverse reactions to change is because we simply don't know yet what will happen as a result of it.
Change is not our Adversary
By employing some of the thinking we've explored in this blog, we may be able to start seeing that change doesn't come at us with any ill-will, it's a natural part of life and cycles will continue to happen.
The challenges that we face through change are raw materials for creating something new and finding a little treasure. By not viewing uncertainty as a void, but viewing it instead as a blank canvas, we're demonstrating the courage to start moving towards the change. And hopefully while we're moving through our changes, we'll see wonderful things along the way.
“Stuff your eyes with wonder, live as if you’d drop dead in ten seconds. See the world. It’s more fantastic than any dream made or paid for in factories.”
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