Change You Really Can Believe In!

A note from peter@thewealthyattitude.com for Monday January 12 2009

Hello there all and welcome to a brand spanking shiny new week.

Let's get right to it and get the week off on a high note.

Our dear friend and senior contributor, Philip Humbert, in his clear, honest, and unique way, makes something that affects us all, clearer than most. You're going to apprecaite what we has to share.

Also, check in and see how our friends at Daily Insight are kicking off their week. It's bound to be special.

Change You Really Can Believe In!

by Philip Humbert

Just a few days from now we will inaugurate a new President. Barak Obama ran on the campaign slogan, Change We Can Believe In, and I've been pondering that.

For as long as I can remember, change has been the constant in life. Sometimes we long for it and sometimes we resist it. Sometimes we work to create change in our lives, other times it's imposed on us. Sometimes change is an exciting adventure--we start a new job, buy a new home, or achieve some other goal that makes everything "new." Other times, a changing economy or changes in technology or relationships are frightening and unwelcome.

Ready or not, change comes.

The good news is that positive change is the key that unlocks our potential. As a child, learning to walk, or talk or read or play sports or go on a date are positive changes that unlock a world of new possibilities for us. Refusing to change is a losing battle, but more importantly we are refusing to expand our universe. Change opens doors. Change creates wealth and adventure.

Only by embracing change can we become fully human.

Most people have heard the old joke that insanity is doing the same thing over and over while expecting different results. Only by letting go of what has worked in the past can we create a new and better world for ourselves.

There's a famous quote from Albert Einstein that problems cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them. I suspect he was right, but I prefer a more homespun version: I can't learn to swim while holding firmly to the edge of the pool. At some point, swimming requires letting go of the safe and the familiar and going into the deep water.

Change almost always involves some level of fear or at the very least, a sense of clumsiness as we learn new skills or the rules of a new environment. So it's easy to understand why some of us resist change. Actually, I suspect all of us resist change at least some of the time, and that makes absolute sense.

The key is to be smart about when we resist and when dare.

Change without preparation, planning and support is bound to carry a high level of risk. Our current economic turmoil imposes change on all of us, but it's far worse for those who are unprepared, or have no plan or support for dealing with it. In contrast, those with savings or who somehow saw it coming, or have a "survival plan" may be able to handle the downturn more easily.

All of this leads to the question, What changes are you planning and preparing for yourself in 2009? What behaviors, situations, skills or activities will you change this year to make your life and our world a better place?

Change happens.

Winners in life anticipate changes that will be imposed by forces beyond their control, but they go even further. They pro-actively anticipate and create the changes they want in their lives. Losers tend to hide from change. Like the proverbial ostrich, they stick their heads in the sand. They try to hide or resist, and change over whelms them.

As the world watches President-elect Obama's inauguration next week, enjoy the spectacle. Delight in the peaceful transition of power and our celebration of democracy. Whether you voted for him or someone else, our tradition of peaceful change is a good thing!

But also take time to affirm the changes you want in your own life. Start small if you wish, but list the changes you want and will achieve in your life. Someone spent a fortune on the banners, signs and celebrations you'll see on television. As you watch, remember all that hoopla is for you!

Pretend all of Washington is affirming the change you desire and the change you believe in for yourself.

By the end of 2009, we'll see you at the top!