Are you waiting for things to get back to normal?

Do you remember the good old days?

Some people insist that if normal and good old days were so good, they would still be here. True or false, one thing is for sure, they are gone.

Dramatic changes in our personal and business lives will continue at an accelerated rate. Each day will bring new business structure, technology and products to the market.

Work, future, present, risk, change, opportunity, and new are the words that describe the world today. Take a moment and for each word write the first thing that comes to mind. We will revisit your answers later.

Today we live at a faster pace: fast food, fast times, fast track, even the fast lane. We have more stress because we are expected to do everything faster and more efficiently than we ever did, and many times with less resources. How we react to these forces that change our world depends on how we view the world, or in simpler terms, our attitude.

Our view or attitude tells us how happy we are with our lives. Go back to your reaction to the list of words. How do they describe your view of the world? When your read them, do they give you a positive or negative feeling? The challenge is to look at the changes we experience in a positive light? We need to understand that change is a part of life for everyone and everything. Seasons change, people change, emotions change, and businesses change.

Our companies will continue to change dramatically. Merging, downsizing, and restructuring will continue to fill headlines. Why has all this happened? Because companies are fighting to regain or maintain strength in a rapidly changing, unforgiving, globally competitive environment.

The secret to flourishing is to use the changes in our business and market to make ourselves more valuable than ever to our company.

So let's focus on changing our view to meet our environment. I am not suggesting that everything at your job will always be enjoyable to you. After all, that is why they call it work! If work is fun, they would call it play! If work is real fun, it would be called entertainment and you would have to pay your employer. But, we can change our mind set. It will not be easy. It will require us to move past people that would rather complain.

Despite what we are told about viewing change as an opportunity rather than a problem, most of us deeply dislike being forced to deal with change.

There are basically three reasons:

• We fear the unknown.
• We fear we will lose something because of it.
• Change implies a possibility of failure.

A social psychologist put it this way, "If you are someone who enjoys having your life suddenly and unexpectedly turned upside down, you are probably sick and should consider seeking professional help."

The point is obvious, change is inevitable. More importantly, change is necessary for businesses and people to survive. In the race for quality, there is no finish line. As we struggle to cope with the challenges that face us daily, we learn to overcome these struggles and eventually become stronger.

Here are important keys to adapting positively with change:

We all experience uncertainty at one level or another. Some people are faced with it on a daily basis. Those of us who had a family member or friend fighting in Operation Desert Storm dealt with uncertainty every day. People with a life-threatening disease do not know what the future will bring, or if they will have a future.

Accept Uncertainty

Although our work environment is not life-threatening, we have to deal with uncertainty. Downsizing, mergers, reorganizations, and questions about company survival may not be pleasant. They are usually signs of better things to come. The only way to deal positively with uncertainty ahead is to accept it.

Look Forward to the Future

Even though technology is advancing at breakneck speed, we still cannot change the past. We have to accept what has happened and move forward. Looking toward the future means setting goals. By setting goals, you will be able to move toward your dreams. Without goals, we are just dreamers.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said it this way:

"You are the only person who can use your ability. It is an awesome responsibility."

It is important to hold onto dreams and think about where we are today. Are we working toward our goals and dreams? Are we doing what we really enjoy? Are we living the life we really want to live? What is stopping us? These are questions we must answer as we strive toward our future.

Get the Ball Rolling

Have you even wondered why a car has brakes? Sounds like a dumb question, doesn't it? Once a car gets going, it is hard to stop. So a car needs brakes. That's nothing new to any of us. But, you know what? The same principle applies to us. Once we get our momentum going, we are hard to stop. We have the ability to use our influence and motivation to create a positive and productive working environment.

Open Lines of Communication

Communication is essential to the success and productivity of a business. Consider the following story.

This is a story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody. There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Everybody got mad about this because it was Somebodies job. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody asked Anybody. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.

Unfortunately, the real story is a lot less humorous and costs businesses time, money, productivity and, in many cases, jobs. In uncertain times of rapid change, we tend to fear the unknown, not knowing what is going to happen next. The responsibility for opening the lines of communication is up to all of us.

We have a bright future ahead. The four phrases we mentioned are not a set of miracle drugs. Our companies and our individual attitudes have a long way to go. We cannot simply wish upon a star, click our heels three times, or whisper an incantation, but we can improve tomorrow.

Charles F. Kettering said,

Has Been versus Change ... by Don Sharp

Handling Change ... by Ben Diamant

Setting Goals and Objectives ... by Ralph Moore

Get Ready for Organizational Change ... by Sherrie Butler