I have a question for you…what do you think is scarier, change or pain?
While you might think pain is a lot scarier, I’d argue that facing a change, whether big or small, can be absolutely terrifying. Think about the anxiety you’ve felt when starting a new job, moving to a new city or getting involved in a new relationship. I bet your heart rate is going up just thinking about one of those things…
So, why IS change scarier than pain? My theory is that we’re more afraid of the unknowns associated with change than the actual change itself, which can cause our minds to think of all kinds of scenarios.
Think about the last time you received a big job offer. You probably spent time weighing the pros and cons of accepting the job and leaving your previous job behind. You probably thought about your finances, how it would affect your family, how you would upset your current boss and coworkers…the list goes on.
But, you won’t know what will happen until you actually make the jump. That new job could be the first step into a new career for all you know. I’ll give you an example of something that happened to me recently…
Facing Change Head-On
A few weeks ago, my organization was faced with a big, sudden change. I won’t go into too much detail, but basically, a lot of things within my team had to shift immediately if we wanted to stay on track with deadlines and keep our clients happy. I was hit hard with the initial shock of the change, making my anxiety go through the roof.
I asked myself… “how can I support my team through this?” “How can I update our clients?” “will our clients be angry?” “what if people cancel their contracts with us?”. Again, I was so afraid of the change that my brain was tangled up in hypotheticals. After some thought, I realized that the only way to deal with the change (or any change) is to face it head-on.
So, that’s what I did. I was straight up with my team and my clients, telling them to expect delays while we re-organized our processes, and that we’d be back on track as soon as possible. I was expecting a slew of angry replies from my clients, but it was actually the opposite.
I received nothing but an outpouring of love and patience from my clients and my team. My leadership team stepped up to fill in the gaps and my clients expressed their gratitude for my organization and assured me that I had their full support. I immediately felt relieved and ready to take on the change.
It’s Never As Scary as You Think
When facing a change of any kind, don’t let your brain fool you into thinking that it’s the end of the world. Nine times out of ten, the thought of change is scarier than the change itself. And, as I always say, facing anything with honesty and kindness is always the key to overcoming anything.
I hope my insights into facing change help you on your entrepreneurial journey in some way. Let me know what you think in the comments below and contact me with any questions about entrepreneurship. Here’s to you facing change head-on.