AchieveMax® Blog

There’s a funny thing about change. It never will.

As is often the case, I find myself once again at my computer in the early hours of the morning. This time I’m researching material for an upcoming seminar. A portion of that day-long program will focus on the subject of change. This particular subject seems to arise in a vast majority of our program offerings of late. In fact, our most requested seminar and keynote for the past few years has been “Productive Chaos: Riding the Wave of Change!” I think people want to learn more about coping with change because we have so little choice in the matter. We’ve been riding that wave of change for as long as I can remember.

In the midst of my research tonight, I stumbled upon some interesting data that provided me with a different take on this powerful subject of change. We often hear concerns from clients that dealing with constant change is a true challenge for their staffs today. Many seek new coping skills and strategies as chaos seems to increase in today’s challenging world.

The simple truth I realized tonight is that the majority of us already have those skills and strategies and have been using them successfully most of our lives. If you would pause long enough to realize how many changes you’ve experienced in your life thus far, I’m certain you would first be somewhat shocked and then very proud of your ability to cope and adapt.

Although a majority of these changes have been small, they have been numerous and constant. I was so overwhelmed at my discovery that I felt it crucial to share some of it with you. For most of your life, you have been faced with constant change, and the pace is rapidly increasing. For those of you who may fear or dislike change, you really must realize how often and how successfully you’ve dealt with change in the past.

In this article, I’m going to share some examples of the changes you’ve witnessed over the years. However, I can only scratch the surface in this format. Therefore, starting tomorrow I’m going to provide additional examples every day on Twitter and my Facebook page for what I’m sure will be many weeks.

Although these examples may seem insignificant at first, realize that each is one of hundreds, if not thousands, of changes that you’ve dealt with in the past and survived quite well. Each may very well have strengthened your tolerance and ability to deal with constant change. Remember these changes … relish each for its value … and take great pride in your growing strength to cope and conquer.

Do you remember these national brand stores?: Montgomery Wards, Kresge’s, Woolworth’s, Cunningham Drugs, Shopper’s Fair, Topps, Korvette’s, Zayre’s, Mervyn’s, Steve & Barry’s, Circuit City, Gimbels and Arlan’s … to name just a few.

How about airlines? Remember any of these?: Eastern, Pan American , Frontier, Ozark, Braniff, Piedmont, Republic, Western, AirCal, ValuJet, ATA, TWA, and North Central.

Remember those popular car brands?: DeSoto, Hudson, Packard, Pinto, Studebaker, Dodge Dart, Nash Rambler, Gremlin, Corvair, Edsel, K-cars, Trans Am, Plymouth, Dodge, Mercury, Delorean, Pontiac, Buick, and the Oldsmobile.

Watch Twitter and my Facebook page starting tomorrow for examples from other categories such as fashion, fads, expressions, people, edibles, toys, books, TV shows, sports, dances, music groups, pop culture, ad slogans, electronics, technology, medicine, transportation, environment, places, and politics. I think you’re going to be overwhelmed at the number of changes you’ve been required to deal with in your lifetime. You’re quite the pro … you just weren’t aware of it until now!

Harry K. Jones is a professional, motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of motivational speakers who provide custom-designed keynote presentations, seminars, and consulting services. Harry has appeared all over North America addressing topics such as change, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork and time management for a number of industries, including education, financial, government, healthcare, hospitality, and manufacturing. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2MAX or fill out our contact form.

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