Managing change in your life
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It is easy to stick within your comfort zone, and last month
I gave you some questions you can ask yourself to help you
to experience new situations. But the journey of making
change is not always easy.
When people make major change in their life, whether it is
a voluntary or forced change, they go through a range of
emotions and thoughts.
Generally when people are forced to go through change,
especially one that is drastic, such as bereavement or
redundancy, they will face a range of emotions. Their
reactions are often as follows:
1. Denial - "it can't be true" or "I can't believe it"
2. Blaming others - "they shouldn't have done that" or "it
is their fault"
3. Blaming themselves - "I should have known" or "it's my
fault"
4. Accepting the new situation - "where do I go from
here?"
5. Committing to change - "I'm going to do something about
this"
6. Creative problem solving - "what am I going to do
next?", "what are my options?"
7. Persevering and overcoming obstacles by being
persistent - "I can do this!"
Sometimes people go through these stages quickly, but
often they get stuck in the early stages of the model, and
feel negative and sometimes depressed about a situation.
Even when making a voluntary change, such as changing your
career or setting up a new business, it is still easy to
find yourself in the areas of negativity. This is
especially true in the early stages, such as the first few
days or weeks in a new job or the first few months of
running a business.
It is important to get to stage 4 as quickly as possible,
and to set a plan to move on.
You should also think about the reactions of other people
in your life. They may also go through these stages as
life will be different, and you may need their support.
- Consult them when you are making decisions and seek
their advice
- If you have a problem, ask for their help and listen
to their views
- Involve them in your vision and your plan for the
future
Managing change is an area where coaching can help. Many
clients come to me because they want to make significant
change in their life. Sometimes they may not know what
they want but are not happy with the status quo, or they
may have an idea, but need support to get where they want
to be. It is then my role to empower them to move through
the various stages as quickly as possible and achieve
success!
If you know anyone who is going through change in their
life and would benefit from my newsletter, please forward
it to them to inspire them during this time.
