Change
Change is good…right? Well, no. Not always. During the 2008 elections, Change became a buzzword. It’s what Obama campaigned on. But it wasn’t exactly a new stance to take. Locally, when Adrian Fenty ran for mayor that was a large portion of his platform too. In fact, I think in some variation or another, it is what every politician campaigns on, just not always using the word Change.
The fact of the matter is that Change is a part of life. Some Changes are welcomed and needed. Others we resist, and are sometimes proven to have been wise but at other times we were wrong not to embrace it. At the moment I find myself in the middle of a fight with Change. Whether I am right or wrong is yet to be determined. Of course I *know* that I’m right, but don’t we always in the moment?
My current Change struggle is centered around the different kinds of Change…there are two kinds in my world: Change for a Purpose and Change for the sake of Change. Personally, I generally get excited about Changes. I’m a huge fan of the book Who Moved My Cheese? because I firmly believe Change offers opportunities for improvement and advancement…IF it is purposeful Change.
Purposeful Change is where there is a goal in mind to achieve something. You want to make something more efficient…better…improved in some way, shape or form. Maybe it’s a process at work that could be done in half the time. Maybe it’s a better way to fold your laundry so it doesn’t wrinkle. Or maybe it’s an improvement on the classic French Martini. No, wait, don’t touch that one. It’s perfect just the way it is, and is my current favorite drink. But I digress. My point is Purposeful Change does not have to be something that moves mountains, it can be something that impacts your life in a very small way. It should have a positive impact to my way of thinking. Otherwise, why do it?
Then there’s my current nemesis. Change for the sake of Change. Change that has no purpose other than to do something *different* or, even worse, Change being made to try to show how great or powerful you are. It’s a concept that I don’t fully grasp just because I prefer to remain in the background than the spotlight. When I was younger I dabbled in acting. Hated it. Then I found the technical side of theater (Stage Managing, Lighting, Sound) and fell in love. It was all that I adored about the theater, but without being thrust into the limelight. You’re straying again LD. Where are you going with this? Right…the point is that as someone who shies away from public notice (says the lady typing on her website) I have a difficult time relating to the idea of wanting to say “Look at how great I am!” to the world—especially when the world may look at your actions, your Change, and say, “Yeah…about that…you’re not so great.”
It may be true that sometimes we resist change because it’s scary, and we need to examine that, then get over it. Pushing THAT scenario aside, I would encourage you to always consider what it is you’re looking to Change and more importantly why BEFORE you begin altering something. When you get your Grandma’s recipe for her famous Rum Cake, perhaps it doesn’t need “tinkering”. If you have a new job, take the time to learn how the organization is run before you decide everything needs to be “revamped”. If you move to a new home, get to know a bit about it before you start ripping out walls…after all, they could be load-bearing. The bottom line is that Change can be good. Embrace Change where it makes sense. But remember it can also bring disastrous results, so if you see Change coming your way that you KNOW is bad, work to Change the mind of the Changer, even if the Changer is YOU.
Platitudes of the day:
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