As is typical when my family gets together, we spend a lot of time reminiscing about days gone by and delighting in telling stories of some of the antics in which we engaged. This past weekend was no exception. A lot of our memories focused on holiday gatherings with Thanksgiving stories winning out.
One of my favorite Thanksgiving tales begins with driving to my parents’ home in NW Pennsylvania in a snowy blizzard (I mean, white out conditions where at times, the only thing keeping me on the road was the tail lights of the car in front of me). I did arrive safely and while the blizzard tapered off, the snow continued to fall throughout the night. That Thanksgiving Day dawned clear and bright and with a foot of snow on the ground. To help my parents out, I went out early to clear the driveway. As luck would have it, the snow blower WOULD NOT start. Not seeing a snow shovel in the garage, I began my task with an old coal shovel. I seemed to be making headway, heaving shovel full after shovel full of snow. After heaving one pile of snow, I was left with only the shovel handle in my hand! The shovel portion had flung itself off with the snow. I kept thinking that if I only had the right tools, what a difference that would make with this chore.
Having the right tools helps in any situation, whether it is shoveling snow, building a house, preparing a meal, or dealing with change. Yes, even when dealing with change. Having the right tools – the right strategies – is especially helpful when we are faced with change, particularly a seismic change in our lives. In my book, Facing the Sunshine and Avoiding the Shadows: Strategies to Stay Sane and Positive amid Change, I provide 16 tools, 16 strategies that help when one is dealing with change. The strategies, built around the acronym PRESERVING SANITY, are:
| Persistence | the ability to keep on going no matter what one may be facing or how one feels about the situation |
| Relationships | our friendships and having people in our lives with whom we can interact |
| Enthusiasm | the need to remain positive and upbeat at all times |
| Sense of Humor | the need to laugh a lot, laugh often, and to lighten the day with levity |
| Ending Something | learning to let go; giving up what is to get what one wants |
| Roaming the Wilderness | spending some time in a “neutral zone,” where the old and new overlap, to discover what is acceptable in the changed environment |
| Vision | the power of anticipating that which may come to be |
| Irreverent Thinking | divergent thinking; thinking that goes beyond conventional wisdom |
| Negotiating Roadblocks | ability to change course and direction when obstacles are in the way of our life’s journey |
| Giggling | laughing; expressing positive emotions such as happiness, joy, relief |
| Savoring Mistakes | errors that are viewed as learning opportunities; adjustments to the original plan |
| Atta Persons | showing others that they are appreciated and giving ourselves the occasional pat on the back |
| New Style of Thinking | a method of decision making that goes beyond the conventional |
| Innovativeness | the use of novel approaches to deal with and face what the change presents; something new that allows one to do something differently |
| Taking Risks | doing something that helps achieve a desired solution, but in which there is a lack of certainty about the outcome and/or a fear of failure |
| You Have to Dream Big | dreams signify something about which one might fantasize; a desire; an aspiration |
How we respond to change is sometimes more important than what happens to us in the changed environment. Oftentimes, the change is out of our control. We have little control over the events that shape our experience in the change, but we do have choice over how we react and respond to the events in our life. However, sometimes we need help to develop more positive and appropriate responses to change; we need the right tools; the right strategies. These 16 strategies are designed to provide such help. These “tools” will help make a difference in our attitude, outlook, and motivational level. These “tools” will help make a difference when dealing with current and future challenges. You can get the complete “tool box” with the book. Future posts will explore these strategies, these tools a little more, explaining the relationship of each to change and why that particular “tool” is important when dealing with change.
Author Becky Johnen 