Would You Change?

Almost every minute of every day I find myself in a position to effect change. Every meeting, every interaction, every decision, every problem, and every opportunity is about changing from this to that. Sure, sometimes we agree to stay where we are. In fact, it’s too often, I think, we decide to not make a change.

This got me thinking about the refrain from the Tracy Chapman song “Change” which starts with, “How bad, how good does it need to get? How many losses, how much regret?”

What’s your answer?

We all know that we only make the big changes in our lives when the pressure is close to unbearable or the promise of something different is so powerful that we are willing to face the fear, uncertainty and risk of doing something new, different and apart from the known, comfortable and familiar.

Finding a new job, a new partner, a new diet, a new savings plan, a new career, or a new way to live your life takes courage, but it also takes something else.

Practice.

Practice by starting small. Change your route to work, where you eat lunch, what time you wake up in the morning, or maybe staying off your phone for a day.

Change tolerance can be exercised like a muscle. The more you change the small things, the better the odds you’ll step into the bigger changes you need to make.

The Chapman song also says, “If you knew that you would die today…If you saw the face of God and love…Would you change?

”Remember that things don’t change. We change.

What’s the one thing that, if you changed, would make your work, your relationships, or your life better?

‍Is today the day?