Tag Archives: Spencer Johnson

Change is inevitable

Aside

With elections passed for the city I work for, our department is now facing the uncertainty of the changes a new mayor will have.  It reminds me a lot of the same type of tension the changing of the sheriff brought when I worked for a county agency.  Change is always scary.  It rarely manifests in the same way we think it will, but just thinking about what “might” happen is always stressful.  For our Dispatch Center, it has taken on a higher level of anxiety because the dreaded “c” word was uttered – in the media – within days of the new mayor being elected.  I’m talking about consolidation.  Talk about amp’ed up stress level.  Suddenly things that you think are set and in place appear to be wavering on the horizon.

Change is one of the things in Life that we can count on.  Every day, things change.  Sometimes we miss the little changes because we’re so focused on what “might” happen.  Sometimes we are in denial and refuse to see that things are changing.  Whatever our stance is, things still change.  Our perception of reality coupled together with our expectations often point us towards how we interpret the looming change; either as positive or negative.  As I have spent some time, consciously and subconsciously processing this new wrinkle in the future, I’ve found it intriguing how the mind can open to all sorts of new and exciting possibilities when you maintain the correct attitude.

On Saturday morning, I apparently had either been dreaming about the possible change or woke up and started worrying about it without being fully awake.  I was turning several thoughts and ideas over in my mind when the thought popped into my mind, very loud and clear, “I’m going wherever the cheese is”.  If you’ve read the book “Who moved my Cheese?” by Spencer Johnson, you know exactly what I’m talking about.  The premise of the book is that change is, indeed, inevitable but it’s up to each of us personally to decide how we are going to react to change.  There is the choice to do nothing … nothing at all … to adapt to the change and stew in the certainty that you “deserve better”.  Or you can think that you are “owed” something more than what you are being presented with for choices.  You can choose to become involved in speculation, gossip and be resistant to change that will happen in the end anyway.  Another option is to accept that change happens and, in order to continue to thrive, a decision has to be made about what is the best personal choice for us as individuals.  Sometimes you might stay in the same “maze” to find where the cheese is now being delivered to and sometimes you might need to break through a wall and find completely different maze to explore.

Change almost always tends to be seen as negative, initially, even if the change is for the good.  Knowing that fear follows the suggestion of “change” can give you the time and space you need to process through how you truly feel about the change to come.  Think about the last time you started a new job or got a promotion.  It’s scary when you walk into a new situation and have no clue what you’re supposed to be doing.  As you work through the “newness”, then you start to see where you can make changes, where you can contribute more (or less) and you get snuggled into the confidence of knowing what’s going on.  If you never take a chance, you’ll never know what heights you could have soared to.  So, if there is change up ahead in your path of Life, whether it is professional or personal, approach it with the knowledge that change is scary, good or bad.  Wait for the initial gut reaction to pass and then examine the situation from all angles before deciding it is “bad” change.  It’s your choice to label it as a good or bad change … and that is mostly from the attitude you adopt in relationship to the change.

As we pause this week to honor Thanksgiving, I hope you take time to tell those you work with and those you serve how much you appreciate the opportunity to be there for them.  We are the unsung heroes of many, many emergency situations.  Our voices give comfort when it’s needed and our skills send help when it’s required.  Thank you to each of you that shows up for your shift, every day, year after year, and continues to give to those in need.  You are making a difference … every single shift!

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