I’ve never been comfortable with change. As a kid, anytime a change posed a disruption to the harmony I was used to, I put all of my effort and energy into maintaining the status quo. I remember being very young when my parents decided to get a new kitchen table and chairs. I panicked hearing this news and emotionally tried to drag the heavy, rolling 1980’s style chairs with their torn plastic seats up a flight of stairs and into my room for safekeeping. I was afraid of what getting rid of these beloved chairs I had grown up with would mean. What if the new set wasn’t as good? Or worse, would the change of chairs affect all the important family time we shared together?
Thankfully I’m no longer hoarding broken chairs, and professionally I’ve even become comfortable tapping into risk; in fact, I love working in the fast-paced, changing environments of startups. In a way, this has become a version of change that I feel a confident ownership over — I can almost control how to mange that type of change. However, change becomes daunting again when it’s unsuspecting and I lose this sense of control. That little voice in my head has had decades of practice questioning what is unknown, casting doubts about what could go wrong, and second guessing that I shouldn’t just hold tight to the way things are. It can be easy to let self-doubt creep in to try and preserve what feels comfortable.
It’s a never-ending journey to proactively seek out change as wanted opportunities for growth and new opportunities. I had a recent conversation with a mentor who offered that the ways we’ve learned to protect ourselves and deal with change in the past might no longer be useful tools for the versions of ourselves today. Like any habit you hope to develop, it takes consistent practice and dedicated time to adopt new behaviors and mindsets. Embracing change is a habit I continue to work to develop and improve.
What is your relationship with change? When was the last time you avoided change, big or little? When was the last time you really embraced change? How did this feel and what happened? What potential might you unlock if doubts of the unknown no longer existed?
LEADERSHIP
INBOUND 2023 🎟️
Register Here for September 5-8 ($)
Heads up! This paid, in person conference will take place in Boston this September. Get your ticket now to attend this premier conference that brings together business, marketing, and sales leaders and professionals to network, learn, and grow. Hear from top keynote speakers like Reese Witherspoon and Derek Jeter and participate in action-packed programming.
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Master Your Business 💻
Learn More Here
SCORE, an organization that supports business mentoring and education, offers a variety of virtual learning courses for business owners who wants to stay competitive, grow, and achieve long-term success. Explore these courses covering topics ranging from marketing and finance, to operations and management. Learn best practices and strategies at your own convenience with experts from the SCORE network.
INNOVATION
50 Hacks to Inspire Creativity 💡
Read Here
Friend and founder Tyler Turk recently published an article for The DadFounder Newsletter that lists great creativity hacks to help spark inspiration.
CULTURE
Delivering Happiness 🙂
Read It
Tony Hsieh was an entrepreneur widely known for his role as the CEO of Zappos. He left a legacy through his belief that happiness is good for business. He grew Zappos by proving that happy employees work harder and more efficiently, and ultimately happy customers spend more money. As a leader, his focus was on creating a positive company culture, and he did just that.
His bestselling book Delivering Happiness is a must read. Through Tony’s entrepreneurial journey, you’ll learn about his philosophies and important lessons for building a great culture, an empowered team, and a successful business.
Watch a quick summary of the book and its main lessons here.
Or listen to the full audiobook here.
PERSONAL GROWTH
4 Steps to Define Your Purpose ❤️
Try It Here
Try this IDEO activity to help you reflect on meaningful moments to define your personal and professional purpose. Follow along to get thinking about where you find the most meaning in your life and work, where you’re making an impact now, and where you want to have future impact.