Change is Not an Option - It’s Necessary

There are three groups of people when it comes to change.  One embraces change and is actually motived by it.  Another group hates change and fights it at every turn.  The third and most common group just ignore change and thinks that if they refuse to see it then it never really happened.  The reality of life is that change happens like it or not.  The issue is never if things should change or if change can be avoided; it is always what we will do about the change.  Things, including people, that do not grow and change die.  If life is to go on and flourish, change – daily change – is necessary.

One of the greatest qualities of any success-minded person is that they are ever learning and growing.  Each day, with every person they meet and every experience they have, they learn and grow.  Change is a result of growth.  Nothing that grows stays the same; it is a law of nature.  That goes for people as well.  Not only do we grow and change physically each day, but we must grow and change mentally and spiritually each day as well.  As Abraham Lincoln said, “I do not think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday.”

The thing to understand is that change is not something to be feared or avoided.  Yes, it is nice to stay in our comfort zones and not have to think about how to do, think or live differently than we do now, however, staying the same only makes us stagnate and stagnate things tend to smell bad.  Success-minded people know that the world around them is changing all the time, if they are to succeed and survive in this changing world, they too must change.

“To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.”  These are the words of Winston Churchill who was a man who knew the importance of change.  During the dark days of World War II, Churchill had the think not only of how he must change to meet the growing challenges England faced but how to help the entire English people to change as well.  Change for England was not an option, it was necessary for survival.

In your daily pursuit of a dream or a goal you too must think of your survival.  You may not have bombs dropping on your head, but if you are to succeed and achieve your goals, you must not only change, but change often.  You must adopt a mindset that allows you to face each and every day with a willingness to do what you must to succeed.  That may mean changing what you do, even though you have “always done it this way”.  It may mean changing how you think.  It is hard to unlearn something or to change a long held belief, but success-minded people must be open to learn and learning means new information and new information means change.

Do not change just to change.  That means you are not really changing but just pretending you are.  Change because you have discovered a better way.  Change because you have found new and better information that does not prove your old way of thinking wrong, but rather improves your thinking and makes it clearer and more useful. 

Remember the words of Churchill, “To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.”  Yes, no one is perfect, however, the great coach, Vince Lombardi, gave us sound advice when he said, “Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.” 

To discover how you can achieve the dream you have believed was impossible for too long, read On The Journey To Achievement by John Patrick Hickey.  You can get a signed copy for yourself and get one for a friend, by going to http://www.johnpatrickhickey.com/it-is-good-to-set-goals-better-to-achieve-then/.  Now available on Kindle, Oops! Did I Really Post That? Online Etiquette in the Digital Age by John Patrick Hickey.

© 2016 John Patrick Hickey. No part of this may be reprinted or published without permission of the author.