There are very few of us that embrace change. We know that it makes people nervous and frustrated. Article after article affirms that. Yet if we’re honest, we will admit it is inevitable. Just why is change so hard?
When I sketched this idea, I observed people about twenty years older than me resisting texting. Nine years later, many of that generation has accepted texting as just another form of communication. Time marches on!
Change is a deceptively difficult thing. We have no problem finding reasons that it is so. Even when everyone agrees changes need to be made, reform is hard. People may disagree on why and how the alterations need to be made. They may even disagree how much and how sweeping a change needs to be. It just isn’t an easy thing!
When it comes to business, reorientation isn’t easy because it’s a risk. Depending on how you plan, it can be a calculated risk, but still a risk.
The unknown can be scary. What if the plans you make ruin everything? What if the declining sales you get from the old, tried and true product are better than the new product? After all? you have a track record on the old item.
Let’s face it, it doesn’t feel good to stick your neck out and try something new. It can feel like a war. You may even get people who don’t like what you’re doing.
When it comes to technology, it forces all of us to learn a new task. That’s not easy when you’ve spent the last twenty years doing a task a certain way.
But change is worth it because we need to grow. We need to try new things in order to stay relevant in today’s society. Besides, who wants to grow into that old codger that is stuck in a fifty-year-old time warp?
How have you succeeded at making a change? Feel free to share it in your comments.
Editor’s Note: I originally published this blog on October 6, 2015. I revamped and updated it for timeliness and comprehensiveness.
