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Overcoming the Fear of Change

Written by: Todd Linaman

Article Overview: Change is inevitable – everybody knows that. Still, most people seem to resist change even if it’s positive. In today’s business environment, nothing stays the same for very long, so those who are unable to effectively “ride the waves” will likely find themselves drowning. Here are ten tips to help you navigate in a changing world.

Overcoming the Fear of Change

Change is inevitable – everybody knows that. Still, most people seem to resist change even if it’s positive. In today’s business environment, nothing stays the same for very long, so those who are unable to effectively “ride the waves” will likely find themselves drowning. Here are ten tips to help you navigate in a changing world.

“To change is to be vulnerable. And to be vulnerable is to be alive.” Alexis DeVeaux

1. Jump in and stay engaged. Staying on the outside often leads to resentment and a sense of powerlessness. Ask questions, listen and participate.

2. Be prepared for a reaction. Don’t be surprised to experience sadness, joy, anger, laughter, crying, confusion, discomfort, excitement, etc – it’s normal!

3. Identify and express your emotions. Unacknowledged and unexpressed emotion causes stress and will make the change process painful.

4. Regularly monitor your attitude. No other person, group or set of circumstances can control your thoughts, beliefs and attitudes – only you can.

5. Maintain flexibility and go with the flow. Remember that resistance and opposition only prolong the process. Don’t try to fight the current.

6. Hold on to something familiar. Stick with your normal routine as much as possible including your sleep, diet, social activities and exercise.

7. Enlist the support of others. This is an excellent time to rely on friends, co-workers and family. You may benefit from their experiences.

8. Manage the big change in small steps. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.

9. Find the good in the change. There is usually something that can be learned from the changes we experience that will help us to continue to grow.

10.Know that it will end. “This too shall pass.” Remind yourself of a change you survived in the past, and remember, you can make it through this one, too!

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Article Tags: alexis, anger, attitudes, business environment, co workers, confusion, deveaux, elephant, emotion, emotions, excitement, flexibility, laughter, opposition, person group, resentment, resistance, sadness, small steps, waves



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Re: Fear of Success - You don't need to fear success. We should embrace it. Fear is define by a man of God as False Evidence Appearing Real. the meaning is what we fear most does'nt come to pass
Other Great Books... - Feel The Fear And Do It AnyWay - Susan Jeffers How To Stop Worrying And Do It Anyway - Dale Carnegie ('What's the worst that could happen - the worst?' Then prepare yourself for that and reality is such a relief!).
Re: Spellcheck? - [quote="TheAnonymousMan":2f894q6j]When discussing the majority of people I would definitely say that most people hit the "Change" or "Ignore" button without thinking too much about the correct spelling of a word. All bosses are concerned about is getting the report to the Directors meeting on time.[/quote:2f894q6j] That probably depends on what the "majority" are trying to accomplish. I have word set to alert me about misspellings and grammatical problems, so I fix most as I go. But I also add names etc to the dictionary because I get tired of seeing the red and green squiggles when I know the info is right. If you're only going to click "Change" or "Ignore" then why bother to take the time to use spell check????? Business people that I work for want the info compiled in a timely manner and they want it right - which is fine because that's the way I strive to do any project. Sending out a memo, letter, report etc with obvious spelling and grammatical mistakes makes the person and the company look bad as far as I'm concerned. Shri
Re: What I'm reading this weekend - Oct 8, 2010 - these are great! In particular, I liked "you’re already perfect" and "Smashing through the Black Wall of Fear." That's exciting that there is a new 4-hour book out. I really enjoyed "The 4 hour Workweek."
Re: What is your biggest challenge? Today? - The biggest hurdle for me to start my online firm, was getting financed and overcoming the technology learning curve. I spent the better part of 6 months attending workshops and unpaid training to learn about SEO and online content management systems. I also spent a month learning basic programming, web site creation tools, and general IT skills. The culmination of this training enabled me to make a thorough presentation to the bank and to private investors. I was able to secure some finances and some servers to run my operation. However, the biggest challenge was time. Overcoming what to 'do' with your time is something entrepreneurs struggle with every day. There is always something you could be doing 'better' or 'worse' with your time.


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