Change is hard. That’s an understatement.
Change is inevitable. That’s just truth.
We want certainty, because certainty makes it easier to define ourselves, to carve out our value. To measure our work against long-standing, consistent expectations. To say that we are a success. To stay safe.
That mindset limits our ability to deal with the inevitable, however. And the consequences for ourselves and those around us can be profound.
Letting go means embracing and working to understand change in all of its subtle and powerful forms. It means choosing to move and evolve and grow.
And despite the angst of not knowing, that’s a lot better than being dragged.
From this excellent post: “We want certainty, because certainty makes it easier to define ourselves, to carve out our value.” But the following, shared with my students is the truth: ‘The only thing that’s certain is uncertainty!’
That uncertainty does always introduce the unexpected twists – the risks. But it also provides the opportunity to make a difference, to contribute! Embrace the ambiguity due to the uncertainty and know you’ve engaged.
I agree that change is hard; however, what makes ‘change’ so difficult is the fear of failure. Subconsciously, we live in the ‘safe zone.’ The safe zone is a place where we are comfortable and feel accepted. Prior to recently, I was a ‘leader by example’ type person. My motto was “visibly invisible” meaning I wanted people to know I was present and doing my job, but did not want to put myself ‘out there’ in the sense of being noticed via taking risks. My mindset in life has changed drastically over the course of the past three years.
This mindset change is based on life experiences. Quite frankly, I am very passionate about wanting to help others. It is a calling for me. What I found though, upon being hired into a leadership role, is that many leaders are not risk takers. They are conservative and limit their own creativity. I do not want to live this way as a leader. I want to excite others about learning and support young people to become successful in all endeavors they partake in. I want to be a difference maker.
With this new attitude, I was able to take risks. To be free from my own doubt and defeating perceptions. As a result, I have opened many new doors for not only myself but others around me. I am not afraid to fail. I embrace failure and actually have fun with it. When I was younger I was afraid to speak in front of others. I would tremble in my shoes. This is not an exaggeration. One of my daily prayers growing up was to be free from feeling so anxious around others. It took many years and many experiences to get where I am at. Now I find myself speaking in front of the entire school at assembly’s, sporting events, and other school activities. I have spoken at funeral services, am a Sunday morning leader at my church, and was a keynote speaker at an Autism Conference in front of over 400 people. I have reshaped myself by putting myself ‘out there.’ This does require risks. People are judgmental and you are easily criticized. But, quite honestly, I’ve learned not to care. My intentions are pure. I want to provide opportunities for students to become involved and support successes along the way. I also want to be there for students when things do not go as planned. I especially relate to the underdog student who does not believe in themselves and have very few others that do. I for one was that student at one time.