Picture the most idyllic beach scene. It’s probably not just the blue sky and expanses of sand shingle or pebbles that you’re picturing. You might also be hearing the rhythmic sound of waves, whether they’re lapping or crashing as they meet the shore. One of our stand out moments of the last ten years was a beach in the north west of Australia. The waves were seriously powerful and it didn’t take long to be swept off your feet even in the comparative shallows. Being taken out by the waves is an experience that has stayed with me, the shock of finding yourself totally disorientated, struggling to figure out which way was up, and then suddenly being out of the waves almost as quickly as you’d gone under. It was at times painful as your shoulder crashed into the sand, exhausting as you braced yourself for the next wave which might or might not take your feet from under you, and at the same time exhilarating - it felt good to be alive (albeit a bit bruised!).
3 responses to change
It’s struck us that change is a bit like those waves. You know it’s coming, but you don’t know beforehand whether the next wave is going to be the one that takes your feet from under you and leaves you unceremoniously gasping for air. And there are three different ways to respond to those kinds of waves. You can resist and fight them; you can be passive and go with the flow; or you can grab a body board and attempt to catch the wave and accelerate to shore. We’ve got the same options when it comes to facing change;
We can’t stop change any more than we can stop the waves coming into the shore, but we can respond to it, and how we respond will make all the difference to our lives and the lives of those around us. All of these responses are valid, different types of change call for different types of response, but being mindful of which response we’re taking in a given situation can be empowering.
Fight it
One response to change is to fight it. Whether that is a proposed new policy or process at work, spotting a grey hair, or getting an unwelcome medical diagnosis. There are times to find alternative ways of achieving the same goal, or to simply not entertain the possibility of the impact of that change and resolutely throw yourself into resisting it.
Be passive
The second response is to be passive. Many changes occur as a result of the passage of time, and there is a sense of inevitability about them whether it's the next iteration of technology, or the ageing process. When we’re passive in those changes it can free our minds and time to focus on other more pressing things. But it’s important to be mindful that this might only be a short term strategy (saving it up to deal with later). It’s also important to be aware that all change changes us. Even if we don’t engage with it, our planet keeps spinning around its axis, it keeps orbiting the sun, and time continues to pass. Time by its very nature brings about changes that will sooner or later change us too whether we engage with it or not.
Embrace change
The third response is to embrace change, to pick up our proverbial body board and pursue the wave and aim to catch it. Embracing change requires us to shift our perspective to see the opportunities that the change is or could bring. Paradoxically, the more we embrace change, the more we’re able to embrace change, as it creates a degree of resilience and a mindset of the possible. For example, we’ve found that living in a city forces us to embrace change regularly. Friends are constantly leaving and new ones arriving, and that creates a dynamic of change. If a great little cafe opens up, don’t put off going to another time, go today because it might not be there in its current format in a year's time! Equally if there’s something missing, don’t sweat the small stuff, change is almost certainly round the corner.
How do we ride the wave and embrace change?
So how do we embrace change and ride the wave? It’s going to look different for each of us, and it’ll be different with different changes that come our way. But there seem to be two characteristics of people who embrace change.
The first is being humble. Realising that change is part of the fabric of life, (and we could go further and say it’s a sign of life) paves the way for recognising that in many situations change is bigger than any one of us, and while in many situations we can’t escape change, we can choose how we change. To put it another way, we don’t have to be a hostage to the inevitability of change, we can (in the right circumstances) choose to embrace the opportunities it gives us and see where the wave takes us.
The second is being brave. It’s not about bravado, but more about being brave enough to be open to the possible, to other perspectives, to other ways of seeing a situation and to being curious. That can take us to the point of being able to not only be open to those opportunities when change is heading our way, but to be instrumental in creating opportunities for growth in the midst of change.
How to be a changemaker
Being a changemaker is a lot about mindset and opportunity (both things that change impacts). The changemakers we know all have a goal, but their goal is not usually the end result; it’s the journey. Having that posture frees them up to see change as an opportunity for growth and to see that as a net positive. Knowing that change can be a good thing in terms of the opportunity it gives us to grow, even if you don’t know how it’s going to work out or what that change is going to result in in concrete terms, creates opportunities to imagine and have the courage to embrace the journey regardless of the final destination.
It doesn’t mean that it’s not hard, change is almost always hard, even when we’re choosing it or creating it. But what we’re seeing more and more is that if change is hard but necessary for our growth and ability to thrive, and if change has the potential at times to be hugely beneficial, we can follow that thread and arrive somewhere pretty amazing. If nothing is set in stone, if change is as certain as night following day, then change is a prerequisite for hope, and hope is powerful and a catalyst for living a full life.
little BIG ideas
A little summary of this big idea using the 1000 most common words
You can respond to change in different ways. To go with change you need to know that change is bigger than us and be open to what change may bring. If you can do that, then change gives hope and hope can lead to a full life.