For the last year and half, the world has encountered more change than most of us ever thought possible. As life, work, family and schooling begin to shift back to some semblance of what we knew before, many of us are looking to assert ourselves amid this new paradigm.
For some, these events and transformations have introduced a new willingness to welcome other significant changes into our lives. But this time, the changes we’re looking to make are made by us, for ourselves and our loved ones.
This is evidenced by the close to nine million people who moved in 2020, according to the Association of Realtors or the 52% of workers planning to change jobs and the 44% already making job changes. After months of restrictive lockdown, making these kinds of changes holds the potential to be both assertive and powerful, but it’s important to also understand why we desire such changes.
Grass is Greener
Be it a relationship or a workplace, many of us can point to instances where we made a switch only to discover the alternative to be either similar or worse than the current situation. Knowing why you want to make the change is critical for solidifying the reason behind doing it and determining its significance to you.
Navigating Change
- Understand your reasons for making this change.
- Look for ways to demonstrate to yourself why this is necessary.
- Make decisions when well-rested with a clear head.
- Acknowledge how the change will incorporate both the status quo and new things.
- Discover places where resistance to change is clouding the process.
- Check-in internally reaffirm why you’re making a change.
One slightly different way to look at this is to ask what might stay similar and what could be different if a change is made. For instance, how would changing jobs or switching industries impact your current level of skills and how will these changes be conducive to work and outside relationships with peers and family?
Change can also take time. This is in part because the brain can register the uncertainty of change like an error and look for the fastest way to reintroduce comfort. Depending on how comfort plays into your definition of change, this basic human need could register as positive, negative or a little bit of both. Being clear about why you want or need to make a change can help you stay on track with less risk of derailing into the comfort of certainty and the status quo.