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Effective Change

January 11th, 2009

Lately I’ve been talking with people about change. I think there are two things that converge to make this topic timely: the New Year (and concurrent resolution-making), and seasonal affective disorder (depression). For some people, especially those living in northern areas where the days seem to end in mid-afternoon, this is a terrible time of year. The combination of resolutions that can’t be kept (for any reason) and seasonal depression is a double whammy. Then combine this with stress (your job, the economy, you name it), which can lead to insomnia… oh boy, something needs to change!

Not far away, in a parallel universe, businesses are going through the same thing: post-holiday blues, new fiscal year and the need to adjust priorities and resources (including lay-offs), possibly moody managers… sound familiar? Something needs to change!

If you see any truth in what I’m saying, congratulations! You’ve taken your first step: recognizing that there’s a problem.

If you’re now ready to take action on this problem, congratulations! You’re on your way. Being in the right frame of mind to make a change is the second step.

You may have gotten this far when you made your New Year’s resolutions. Now let’s keep that up and take the next step. Do not be discouraged by temporary set-backs. Call the set-backs for what they are: temporary, attitude, not really committed to change, whatever. Give yourself options.

Enlist the help of a friend, a coach, a partner, or someone who can give you encouragement and accountability. Don’t ask for help from someone who wants to change or control your process for you; that won’t work. Groups are sometimes more helpful than a single helper, especially for tasks like getting more exercise.

What’s the next step? That depends on what you’re trying to accomplish. Here are a few links that might be helpful.