Word-Of-the-Week #1025: Change

March 28, 2024 by · Comments Off on Word-Of-the-Week #1025: Change 

Changethe action of making something different.

Do you find change difficult or stressful? Or do you love the excitement of creating or experiencing something new?

This week features more sage wisdom from Sam Horn’s newsletter.

ANECDOTE 

Carol worked in DC and commuted 2-3 hours EVERY DAY. 

Being away from home for 13+ hours a day made her feel especially guilty because she wasn’t able to play with her dog, Aussie. 

She dropped Aussie off at a doggie day care every morning, but he’d developed separation anxiety and he “cried” – which made her feel even more guilty. 

When she got home at night, she was too tired to play with him – and on weekends, she had chores and wanted to catch up on sleep or go out with friends/coworkers. 

After listening to her story, I made a drastic suggestion. I said, “I know you love Aussie AND is there someone nearby who would love him and give you “visitation rights?” 

She was shocked that I’d even suggest it… But the more she thought about it, the more she realized she was working hard to pay for a house and dog she loved, but never had time or energy to enjoy either of them.

Carol realized things were going to stay the same – unless she made a change. 

So, she asked her son, who lived nearby, if he might be interested in Aussie. He is a marathoner and quickly agreed because he welcomed the companionship on his training runs. 

The best part is – now she gets to see both of them whenever she wants! 

Plus, since she no longer needed a house with a big backyard, she sold her home and moved closer to work. 

Now that she doesn’t have to commute, she has 2-3 extra hours every day to go to the gym and hang out with coworkers. 

She’s fit, feeling better about herself, and finally has a social life… All because she had the courage to honestly assess her life and make changes that had a catalytic ripple effect. 

ACTION 

  • How about you? Do you like your life the way it is? 

If so, good for you!  If not, what is ONE THING you could change that could have a catalytic ripple effect? 

  • What STUFF might holding you back or weighing you down? 

And when I say STUFF, I don’t just mean possessions – I mean commitments. 

Be HONEST, because if we don’t admit it, we can’t address it.

This week is all about change. Change is inevitable, growth is optional. That pretty sums up life wouldn’t you say? How would it feel to embrace change knowing that YOU CAN AND WILL get through it? And how about the added bonus of improving your life too?

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Word-Of-the-Week #990: Change

July 27, 2023 by · Comments Off on Word-Of-the-Week #990: Change 

Changethe action of making something different.

Do you find change difficult or stressful? Or do you love the excitement of creating or experiencing something new?

One of my all-time favorite quotes is, “Change is inevitable, growth is optional.” Change is a part of life. Four times a year the seasons change. We experience physical changes every day. Some people find change almost paralyzing while others find it exhilarating.

This week features two of my subscribers who shared stories about change after reading my 19th anniversary WOW about being lucky and good karma. And a great follow up to last week’s Diversity!

Jennifer wrote, “I have received your Wow Word of the Week emails since I attended the Woman’s Foodservice Forum (WFF) about 19 years ago. I remember hearing you speak and was so inspired. I was about 31, a mother of a 2-year-old and going through a separation/divorce while growing my career. I am still with the same company (now in a Director position) and your weekly emails have helped keep me going all these years. Thanks so much for the years of inspiration!”

Kim wrote, “I adopted a dog from Puerto Rico that had social anxiety. She was scared of everything especially if I got mad say from dropping something. She would be so scared she wouldn’t go into that room for weeks. So, I learned quickly to let everything go and act like it was supposed to happen and that I was happy it happened! 

When I dropped a Tupperware dish full of spaghetti on the floor, she looked at me and I exclaimed, oh good! Yay! So glad that happened, this is so much fun cleaning this up!! And it worked! She would wag her tail instead of cowering away!

 That behavior made me change my own karma. Now things that get messed up don’t bother me, and life is so much better! Saying whoopsie! and moving on, cleaning up, and laughing has been the best thing. Incidents aren’t so heavy and energy draining like before, and I am a much lighter happier person because of my dog, Voodoo. Cheers! “

And this from Steve Strauss, “Does change have to be hard or can you let it be easy? 

Have you found that changing alone is better for you? If not, who can assist you with your change? 

Coaching Point: One year from now is probably going to happen anyway. Do you want your life then to look just like it does now? Or do you want it to change?”

This week’s focus is all about change. Change is inevitable, growth is optional. That pretty sums up life wouldn’t you say? How would it feel to embrace change knowing that YOU CAN AND WILL get through it? And how about the added bonus of improving your karma too?

I LOVE feedback! Join my Facebook community on my FUN-damentals Fan Page.

WOW Word-Of-the-Week #389: Change

January 18, 2012 by · Comments Off on WOW Word-Of-the-Week #389: Change 

Change – the action of making something different in form, quality or state.

Do you love the excitement of creating something new? Do you find change difficult or stressful? If you could change one thing in your life, would it be difficult or easy for you?

Once again I received one of S T E V E ‘ S….3 – M I N U T E…. C O A C H I N G emails and thought it was perfect for the new year.

“What do you want to change this year? Do you have a clear picture/description of what you want to change?

Do you know how your life will be different when you have the change? Have you quantified the difference by fully describing the attributes that will result from the change, such as how you expect to feel?

Do you have some ideas of how to bring about the change? Actions, resources, requests to make, boundaries to set, things to stop?

Do you already know what some of the barriers to having this change are? Momentum is usually a big one. Someone-won’t-approve can be, too. Do you know of other barriers?

Does change have to be hard or can you let it be easy?

Have you found that changing alone is better for you? If not, who can assist you with your change?

Coaching Point: One year from now is probably going to happen anyway. Do you want your life then to look just like it does now? Or do you want it to change?”

Copyright 2012 Steve Straus. All rights reserved.

One of my favorite quotes is, “Change is inevitable, growth is optional.” Change is a part of life. Four times a year the seasons change. We experience physical changes every day. This week’s focus is on change. Will you view change as a positive and grow from the experience? Will you find it difficult to accept and create more barriers?

Reader Responses

“I like this! A lot of helpful questions to ask ourselves!” – Sandra

“Change is difficult for all of us, because of the inevitability of it. If we don’t change, at some point it may be forced upon us by forces that we can’t control. So, if the opportunity is there to make positive changes in our lives – and not just at New Year’s Eve – then we should try to take a look in the mirror and see what we need to do first. Once we take stock, we should make the change workable, in increments. We can’t change overnight, so if we take our time and make it work in manageable chunks, then we will be able to accomplish our goals of change. The biggest obstacle to change is fear. My wife does not like change at all. She wants things to remain routine so that there are no surprises in her life. When there are surprises, she does not like it. I don’t try to force things on Kristen, but I let her know that she will have to make small changes that are manageable and make things easier for her. None of us likes change, but it is the only clear path to growth in life. As I have looked back on my life, there were probably a few things I might have done differently, but in retrospect probably would not have been drastic changes in my life. I am a positive person and work hard to adapt and change. It is not easy, but nothing that is worthwhile in life is ever easy. Great word for this time of year, Susan. Thank you.” – “Warrior” Joe

Word Of the Week #29: Change

April 21, 2009 by · Comments Off on Word Of the Week #29: Change 

Change: the action of making something different in form, quality or state.

Do you find change difficult or do you love the excitement of creating something new?

One of my favorite quotes is, “Change is inevitable, growth is optional.” Change is a part of life. Four times a year the seasons change. We experience physical changes every day. How we accept and handle change, is the key to being successful, both personally and professionally.

I have worked with country clubs who for years had hand written receipts. When they installed point of sale equipment, the change was more than some people could deal with. Their first thought was, I can’t do this. It was such a big change from the way they used to do it. Eventually, over time the new way of doing things became easy.

If you are planning on making any changes this year, it’s important to for your people to understand the purpose. There must be a valid reason to change for them to ‘buy in’.

I believe a lot of the fear and why we resist change is because we don’t see the whole picture and how we fit in the picture. People have a tendency to worry about step 10 before they have taken into account the other nine steps. Make sure you have a plan that gives them a step-by-step process. Everyone needs to see and understand the part they play in the change.

This week focus on how you can grow from change rather than resisting it.  If you love change, how can help those people around you that may be resisting it.

Reader Responses

“I say “Accept Change as an Evolutionary Process, not a Revolutionary Process!” — Don Vance

“I came to Forest Lake Club in October of last year. During my interview process I was assured that things were in good order and that it was my duty to take the Club to the next level. As I am always practicing MBWA, during one of my visits with a distinguished member the following conversation took place: Mr. member, you are telling me that you don’t come to the big Sunday Brunches, such as Easter, Mother’s Day, Thanksgiving or Christmas? That’s right Kurt; the wait is so long it is painful! It takes over half an hour to get in, and I have given up!  The member was kind enough to describe to me how the lines formed in the Club’s lobby, mind you, there was piano music and a full member bar, still…but, don’t worry, it has been done that way for years, there is nothing you can do, our members are very patient and will endure the wait.  After listening carefully to the member and how he perceived the procedure, I realized that the check-in point at the door and a few other points were the problem. Even though everyone had reservations, it took the folks too much time to check in each family and assign them their table.  We designed a plan of attack and changed the approach completely. Not only did we do away with the wait but we also increased the capacity of seating from 600 members to over a thousand!  Upon reservation taking, we find out the age of the children and the size of the family, special requests for high chairs and booster or any other requests are noted (such as being seated next to the “Miller’s”).  Then we designated three check-in points with a Manager or Supervisor at each. On the day of the event, we all have identical reservation sheets with alphabetical listing, table number and location (ballroom or dining rooms). To maximize seating, we offer 11AM and 1PM reservations. On the reservation card (sitting near the table number) we write down both member reservations with seating times. This has helped us visually to announce the arrival of the later seating of a fellow-member. The guest checks are prepared in advance, only requiring verification and signature.  One of the most remarkable comments came from a member who has been coming to these brunches for years: upon arriving fifteen minutes after the doors opened, he approached me and said “Are we having a slow brunch this year?” to which I was able to respond: No, Sir, we already have over 300 members seated. WOW, was his answer how did you do that? Now you (dear reader) know the answer too!  We are having fun with listening to the members and implementing change.” — Kurt J. Bischofberger

“Very appropriate, because this is going on right now in my personal life. My daughter is disabled (she’s 29), and because she has a 9-year-old daughter, she has to have a roommate in order for her to live on her own. The roommate she’s had for the past 7 months wasn’t working out for a variety of reasons, so we had to make a change (it happened just this weekend!).  It was not a fun thing to do, because we still love the person involved, but knew that it had to be done both for my daughter and granddaughter’s sakes, and for the sake of the roommate. This particular “change” was difficult for all involved, but it was a change that will have a positive impact on everyone concerned. Because we have such a great support group of friends and loved ones, the change has been much smoother and quicker than anticipated.” — Terry L. Green

“The timing was perfect for this Word of the Week on Change. I’m having difficulty with the time change and my resistance to the holiday season coming much too quickly. I was at the mall the other night trying to find Thanksgiving tablecloths and centerpieces. Not only could I not find what I was looking for, everywhere I looked I saw nothing but Christmas decorations galore. I’m feeling depressed that summer has ended and I’m having difficulty easing into the Fall season, but this is ridiculous! I need to remember to book a tropic vacation cruise for next November!” — Sylvia Castro