3 Rules for Coping with Change

November 12th, 2007 | by the MDB |

I am writing this from the position of recently having lost my job and now moving onto new things. When reality hit that I was no longer employed and that I wasn’t going to be receiving my latest paycheck, I decided to take a step back and make sure I reacted in a positive way.

Amongst all that was going on around me and the situation it was pretty difficult, but I am also a pretty simple person, so I like things as straightforward as I can make them. I like a simple method I can follow, because the simpler it is, the easier it is to fall back on. This is how I dealt with the upheaval.

The first thing I did was to accept that I couldn’t alter what had happened and so put that behind me. Why waste time on if’s and but’s and things you can’t change? The situation was done, it wasn’t going to change, no matter what I did. So…

  • Rule 1: You can’t change what has already happened, don’t waste your energy.

The second thing I did was decide to see what the positive side of being laid off was. Or what it “could” be. As they say, you attract what you focus on, so I started to look at the opportunities for change that it gave me, the new possibilities.

Once I started doing this I actually became pretty upbeat and life started moving in a positive direction again. Then the momentum effect began to take over, it’s important just to get the ball rolling.

  • Rule 2: Look for the opportunities the change has created.

I believe Winston Churchill once said that “some people see difficulty in all possibilities while some people see possibility in all difficulties”. I think this is something to bear in mind. When change happens, train yourself to focus on the possibilities.

Having seen the opportunities that being out of work had given me, somethings that I had been blind to previously, I quickly started to feel more positive and decided to pick my fight. Where was my energy and focus going to go?

For me, it wasn’t going to be to fight the change. It was going to be to fight for a better future. The result being that I have now found myself a better job and also have set about more time for myself to update me skills.

  • Rule 3: Pick your fight wisely, then put all you energy into it.

Of course, you can choose to fight the change (if you are sure it is a change for the worse and it’s of a benefit to be fought) or you can choose to fight for new openings and new opportunities.

This is my simple story. This is my simple method of dealing with change. I hope you can take some optimism from this and start to believe that all change isn’t bad. Find your own way of coping and turning it into a positive experience and make it a habit.

Best of Luck & Thank you,

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  1. 2 Responses to “3 Rules for Coping with Change”

  2. By Sibbia on Nov 15, 2007 | Reply

    You handled that in an absolutely positive and mature manner.

    Change is inevitable and should be dealt with wisely.

    Who knows? It could turn out that being laid off was the best thing that ever happened to you!

    The lessons its taught you about diversity were hard won but unlikely to ever be forgotten.

  3. By the MDB on Nov 15, 2007 | Reply

    Thanks Sibbia. I think you could be right, it’s amazing how quickly you can become comfortable. It’s only when something happens that you get spurred into action, so in that respect it is definately a worthwhile lesson.

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