Change Submitted by Tina Smith, Life Coach, TT&J Associates LLC 713-819-4745 / TinaSmithLifeCoach@gmail.com / www.TinaSmithLifeCoach.com "What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls a butterfly." ~ Richard Bach How do you see change? If I were to ask you to write out the 10 most recent things that have changed in your life what would you write? Go ahead, take the time, this will be just for you. Next to each one of those items, the things that are changing your life, place a (+) if you see it as a positive change in your life or a (-) if you see it as a negative change in your life. So, what is the verdict? All positive? Negative? A little of both? Are changes that you are going through right now “the end of the world” as the caterpillar would say or are the changes you are going through “a butterfly”? This sounds like the glass is ½ full or ½ empty observations doesn’t it. Well… in a way. Just like beauty is in the eye of the beholder so too is change. Regarding change, that is all there is. Change is constant. It is all around you, internally and externally. Learning how you look at change, how you respond to change, can be a major achievement in your personal and professional growth. Let’s identify how you view change. Once you have that understanding let’s determine how this viewpoint is serving you. Third we will decide if it is still the way we want to be and fourth if not, steps to move in a new direction. So, if you completed the steps in the first paragraph, great. If not, go back up and complete now. How do you see change? Is it the end of the world, or is it a butterfly? To fully understand your thoughts/viewpoint let’s go beyond the (-) and (+) sign. Next to each of the 10 items write out specifically how you viewed this change. Example: My office changed the process for ordering office supplies. (-) I saw this as a negative change because it was easy. All I had to do was xyz and what I needed would appear on my desk. Now I have to abc and all these extra steps. Who has time for this? Now, how has this viewpoint served you? Meaning, has looking at change through this specific “lens” assisted you? Next to each of the 10 changes write how looking at the change in this way helped or hindered you. Let’s continue with our example. Example: My office changed the process for ordering office supplies. (-) I saw this as a negative change because it was easy. All I had to do was xyz and what I needed would appear on my desk. Now I have to abc and all these extra steps. Who has time for this? This served me because I got to have my opinion heard. I told everyone about it. OR This did not serve me because no one listened, they made the change anyway. I understand it helps with the budget and getting all worked up over it was a waste of my time. Your decision, your choice. Is this the way you want to continue to look at change? There is no right or wrong answer, only your answer. If you want to make adjustments to the way you see change let’s move on to our final step. Looking at change as if it were a butterfly is a matter of mind. A masterful mind. It is all in your thinking. It will take practice. It will take you actively listening to your thinking before it moves out of your mouth and/or into action. How do you do this? One way is to have a small notepad close by. Every time there is a change, small medium or large, follow the steps we took here. Through practice soon this will become a habit and one that you will quickly move through and even be able to let go of several steps. 1. Stop and take the time to write out the change. 2. Listen to your thoughts. 3. Do you see this as (+) or a (-). 4. Write out specifically how you see the change. 5. Write out how seeing the change in this manner will or will not assist you. 6. Decide, you choose, how you will view this change and what actions you will take. "New insights fail to get put into practice because they conflict with deeply held internal images of how the world works ... images that limit us to familiar ways of thinking and acting. That is why the discipline of managing mental models -- surfacing, testing, and improving our internal pictures of how the world works -- promises to be a major breakthrough for learning organizations. ~ Peter Senge About Our Show Advisor: Walk a discovering path with Tina Smith, Life Coach. Currently living in Houston, she is a Native Texan. A single mom with two fabulous children who is rediscovering life and herself. Most recently with M. D. Anderson Cancer Center as Associate Director of Performance Improvement, Tina has been on the Harmonic Wealth Journey with James Ray International since February 2008, let go of 60 pounds, stronger, healthier, and outrageously fantastic! Transitioned careers to Life Coaching and ignited the sparkle in her eyes every time a client steps into a new discovery. Life is meant to be lived! Tina Smith has facilitated both individuals and teams through the achievement of their defined game for over 20 years. Coaching personal, volunteer and professional contacts through individual sessions and education courses centering on leadership, change and performance improvement. She creates with an idealistic outlook while valuing the welfare of people. Facilitating committees and board meetings in formulating strategic goals and operational objectives with an innovative and fun slant. Tina coaches people who are ready to remove their blocks and move forward with their life. Life is abundant with opportunities. Are you ready to discover yours?