From Surviving to Thriving in A World of Change!

A note from peter@thewealthyattitude.com for Wednesday April 30 2008

Say “aloha” to the midweek point.

Well, as of today, 2008 is now officially 1/3rd over, and you know I’m going to ask the questions.

1. Are you on track to fulfill your goals and intentions?
2. If you are, congratulations!
3. If you are not, why not?

There is 2/3rds of this great year left, and now is the time to check in and make the adjustments necessary to bring in all of your intentions on plan.

I’m keenly aware that most of us are inundated with the changes happening all around us, We can, however position ourselves to take advantage of, and prosper from, all that is presented to us.

Today offering from our friend Philip, may be just what you need with your coffee today.

From Surviving to Thriving in A World of Change

by Philip Humbert

Recently I did a training for the local electric utility on the skills and resources for thriving in a world of constant change.

What struck me is that I never thought about a utility having to cope with “too much change!” It’s not like we’re going to stop using electricity or their customers are all going to a competitor! They dam a river that’s been around for a million years, they make electricity, send it through the power grid and bill their customers. How stable is that?!

Yet even the electric utility industry is swamped by change. People come and go. Regulations, standards and new software over-whelm them. And of course, there is competition from other energy sources, so even in the stable world of electric energy, the stress is enormous.

How about in your world?

Constant change both thrills and threatens us. We love the new opportunities, but too often we end up running as fast as we can just to stay even. New competitors, new tools and new skills challenge us every week. I’m typing this on my brand new laptop and I love it! But it’s taken me three days just to configure the stupid thing, and it still doesn’t “look and feel” quite right! Change is the constant in our world.

Here’s the thing: We want to grow and develop! We want new tools, new adventures and new resources. Most of the time, we welcome change with open arms. But, sometimes it’s just too much. We’ve become infatuated with anything “new” whether it enriches our lives or not.

Sometimes the “old” is good enough. Sometimes the familiar is more comfortable and actually more effective. I have a friend who uses an old-fashioned slide-rule partly for the nostalgia, but also because it’s faster than doing calculations on his computer. Sometimes, the old is good.

Here are three suggestions for thriving on change:

1. Maintain lots of “personal bandwidth. That means taking superb care of yourself! People who are happy, healthy and rested simply do better than people who are tired, hungry, stressed or worried. Practice extreme self-care. Maintain your personal bandwidth.

2. Celebrate the Big Picture. Know what’s going on and understand the context of your world. Remember, some people lead, other’s follow, and some just don’t have a clue. Be a leader! And that means seeing the big picture, knowing where your world is going, and being out in front.

3. Invest in Tools. Knowledge and skills matter! The more you know about your industry and what’s happening (and who’s leading), the more options you have. Remember, “leaders are readers.” And I love the quote from Buckminster Fuller: “You can’t learn less.”

Our world is infatuated with anything “new” or “improved” and that’s not going to change. What you can control is your response to change. Master it! Learn skills for evaluating change. Learn to “respond” rather than merely “reacting.” Use change and growth and transformation to your advantage rather than merely trying to hang on and endure! For the rest of 2008, make change (and growth!) your friend.

Use it to your advantage.