The Hidden Power Of Embracing Change

High achievers change things, things don’t change them. In other words, achievers are catalysts of change for the better. They’re not crippled by negative circumstances; they’re launched by them.

I often ask people, “Are you a catalyst or a sponge?”

The message is: If you want to see change in your life, you’re going to have to change something in your life.

Take a look at Normal Vincent Peale, he was skinny and painfully shy. He wanted to be tough and solid, but no amount of milkshakes and banana splits could help him gain a pound.  Every member of the Peale family was a performer in public, but the last thing he wanted to be was a platform speaker.

A statement that his professor said to him about his feeling of bad self-image and inadequacy…. “How long are you going to be bashful like this, a scared rabbit afraid of the sound of your own voice? You had better change the way you think about yourself, Peale, before it’s too late!”.

You might think this was pretty heavy for a kid, but this shy and bashful boy went on to become one of America’s most popular preachers and writers.

Most change has a level of discomfort or pain, but it is only temporary. When athletes exercise, their bodies change, they develop more strength, more muscle. They go through dietary changes, mental changes, adopt more exercise, increase their training and more change happens.

I believe we are like athletes. Change can be painful, it needs to be repetitive, and it produces growth and strength. That’s one reason it’s called the Hidden Power Of Embracing Change.

The reason why change is a threat or a crisis to some people is that it often requires more effort and work. There’s a new learning curve as we re-educate ourselves. It can mean new responsibilities, new job profiles, a change in how we treat people and a change in how we conduct and grow our business.

That’s why as a rule, I prefer to make changes one step at a time. Like exercise, drastic movement can cause injury, yet calculated and gradual movement builds strength. Take each change of direction on its own merits. Some must be instantaneous while others can be phased in over an extended period of time.

In the workplace rapid change can unsettle employees, affecting productivity and morale. One positive alteration which has been filtering through the international business world is the philosophy of interdependence over independence.

Don’t consider change as negative or destabilising. Over the years I’ve seen many changes in my life lead to positives.

Change releases fresh leadership, concepts and ideas.

One of the dumbest mistakes we can make in life is to think we’ve made it.  There is no need to make any more adjustments or changes, we’ll just refine what we already know.

Change is positive in business or sports environments because it doesn’t look at who is to blame. It stimulates new ideas, seeks smarter ways of working and ultimately achieves better results.

Many people have made the choice to move ahead, written down their goals, then allowed excuses to overpower their dreams. Today they are full of regret and miles and miles from their destiny.  

If you have stayed in the starting blocks after the gun has gone off, I have a word of encouragement for you. You might have missed the first heat, but the athletes are lining up for the second heat and you still have an opportunity to put your excuses aside and GO FOR IT!

Don’t be a ‘should have, could have, would have” person. Get ready for change. Welcome it. Because when things change it can be change for the better. Use the Hidden Power Of Embracing Change.

After you’ve embraced change, the next step is to maintain the fire in your belly.

In my new book “Unbreakable” I recant a story of my life when I was inspired to turn a dream into a reality. When I created Youth Alive, I had no money to do it and I’d never been involved in anything on such a grand scale before. There was going to be a mountain of work and organisation. Mt Everest was a speed hump by comparison.  You can read the whole story on Page 43 of the book.   

At times your confidence will take a knock. When that happens there’s only one thing to do: Get back up and keep doing what you intended to do anyway.

Having fire in your belly and confidence have a lot to do with our image of ourselves. If you have low self-confidence, you’re going to be trapped in a life of frustration, unhappiness, stress and guilt. But it is possible to rid yourself of those tormenting attitudes and to gain healthy confidence.

I congratulate you on having the courage and determination to put past perceptions away and start afresh.

By embracing change and maintaining that fire in your belly, the sky is the limit!

Until next time

Yours in Prosperity

Pat Mesiti