All Change - Love It Or Loathe It!

By Nicola Menage

This article by motivational hypnotherapist Nicola Menage gives us some practical tips on dealing with change in our business and professional lives.

Malcolm Gladwell, author of “Outliers: The Story of Success” and “The Tipping Point”, says “It’s not the absolute level of hardship that causes people to crumble, it’s the level of uncertainty that can destroy them. If we don’t know what is going to happen and where it’s coming from, then uncertainty is more of a hardship than hardship is.”

One thing for certain is that change is the one constant. At some point in our lives we all experience feelings of uncertainty, stress, lack of confidence, fear and a sense that we are not in control of our lives. This is undoubtedly true at the moment as the current recession is biting and affecting us all one way or another.

In these changing times businesses are leaner and cut backs and staff redundancies are par for the course. Perhaps you have to deal with managing staff redundancies or perhaps you have been made redundant yourself?

The predicted scale of this global recession is brand new territory. I liken it to a fresh new wind blowing. Imagine a sailing yacht out on the high seas and this fresh wind is blowing from a new direction and so, in order to ride it out, we set our sail accordingly. At times it is bumpy. However, like all good sailors, we can be prepared and ready to change our direction.

I recommend the book “Who Moved My Cheese” by Dr. Spencer Johnson. This profound little book is a metaphor for change. Its key message is to look for change, adapt to change quickly, enjoy change and, most importantly, be ready to change quickly again and again.

The important thing is to be ready, open and fit for new opportunities. How and what we think can strongly affect our behaviour and our quality of life. Here are eight simple strategies that we can apply to help us deal with the situation and that I believe will help us come through it stronger and more mentally agile.

1. Accepting the situation is key. We can’t control the global financial situation. However, by accepting that this is how it is, you will feel more at peace and gain the mental space to move forward with your life.
   
   
2. Stay mentally fit. As we have evolved, we have over exercised our mental muscle by constant worry, negative self talk and preoccupation with the past and the future. 75% of what we think is repetition and mostly unnecessary. Focus on your inner stillness and allow your natural creativity a look in.
   
   
3. Think optimistically. You are then more open to opportunities. What we think is exactly what we get. If you believe that you are okay and things will continue to improve, the probability is that they will. Martin Seligman professor of psychology and author of “Learned Optimism” found that research shows that optimists fare better than pessimists.
   Optimistic types respond better to stress, are more confident, succeed better at work and achieve more of their personal goals.
   
   
4. Relax. Take regular time out to be still, focus, hear the wind in the trees, notice noticing the spring bulbs and shoots beginning to appear. We live in a beautiful world, how much do you take in each day? Blood pressure and heart rate will benefit and the level of stress hormone in your blood stream will lower, naturally making it easier for us to feel optimistic. Learn self hypnosis, yoga or Tai Chi.
   
   
5. Stay ahead of the game and increase your opportunities. Learn a new skill - a guaranteed stress buster as well as developing your inner confidence. Become a confident public speaker, learn a new language, take a course, join a speakers’ club, and aim to keep motivated and focused.
   
   
6. Don’t wait to start living, start to live the life you want now. Choose activities that give you joy and happiness. Positive change is much more likely to come into your life if you can enjoy doing what you do. Life is far too short to waste. View this time as an opportunity to reassess - what do you want to do with your life? Don’t just rush back into the same type of wrong job for you. The more you enjoy the journey to get to your chosen goals, the greater the reward.
   
   
7. Volunteer… your community needs you. If you are currently unemployed, stressed, lacking in confidence or at low ebb the rewards will make you feel fantastic, give a purpose to your day and look good on your CV. And it’s a great way to promote the natural feel good chemical serotonin. We are all in this together and more than ever before it’s a great opportunity to feel knee deep in our communities.
   
   
8. Network, network, network. Continue to build your personal networks - you never know what fresh opportunities are out there waiting for you. The more people that you know and develop productive relationships with, the more you increase your chances of staying buoyant and realising your goals.

Nicola Menage is a motivational hypnotherapist who works with professionals and business owners who are affected by the credit crunch. Through hypnotherapy and other beneficial mind programming techniques she successfully works with people to help them get their lives back in control by allowing them to change the things they want to change in their business and personal lives.

For more information visit www.nicolamenage.co.uk or call Nicola on 01451 831122.

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