In the past few weeks, we’ve all dealt with major changes in our daily lives during this pandemic. Nobody likes change. In fact, we dislike change so much that hundreds of books have been written about it. However, we understand that change is necessary for growth.
During our adolescence, we called it growing pains. Perhaps, this is where the negative connotation begins. We know that change doesn’t have to be painful. It’s our subconscious resistance to change that creates an internal struggle, producing feelings of anxiety and trepidation.
If we’re not convinced that we should make a change, we’ll go in with one foot already out the door. On the flip side, when we understand that change is going to benefit us, our thought process shifts because we feel that we can control the change, rather than the change controlling us.
It’s often due to our minds being so emotionally wrapped up in past practices and past results that we can’t think about how we move forward. Our perspective of what we can do is based on past results and not on true potential. This negative perception can impede our progress. Instead, we stay in the comfort zones that we’ve so carefully constructed around ourselves.
With change comes different feelings—strange, weird, or even horrible. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been some big changes in our home and work life. None of us has ever experienced anything like this. And we can only hope that we never do again. We have to remind ourselves that if the way we’re doing some things now feels different, it’s OK, because that feeling will result in progress and growth.
As we move forward with these changes, in time we’ll all feel more comfortable and become familiar with our new way of doing things, the new normal. The time to start is now. It isn’t going to happen overnight. It’s not going to happen in a day, a week, or a month, and it’s going to take some time for us to adjust the way we do things.
We’ve been presented with a big challenge and guess what? We really don’t have a choice. Let’s all work together to get through these difficult times so our communities will emerge stronger in the future. We’re open and we’re here for you — our members.
Stay safe!
Jack Lank, IOM, President & CEO
The United Regional Chamber of Commerce