Fall has come around in the high country.  The air is crisp and I’m rocking a beanie again.  Oktoberfest has come and gone.  Leaves are turning from green to brilliant yellows and reds.  Given all the change around me, when a friend of mine asked a question about how to deal with change, it really got me thinking.  It seems like such an appropriate topic for the season!

I’ve had varying levels of comfort with change throughout my life.  I work in retail and change is the spice of life.  You change or you die in retail.  As a result, I have learned to adapt to constant change without too much trouble.  That said, in the last year, we moved halfway across the country to Colorado.  It was a huge change.  We didn’t know anyone or anything about the area.  Luckily, we moved to a mountain happy place with so many amazing activities, so even though it was hard to leave friends and familiarity behind, it’s been a good move for us.  Then I lost my job.  Another big change.  Now, we are buying a house and moving in a couple weeks.  Another big change.  And I’m starting a new job.  Change is flying at me, fast and furious these days!

How do I deal with all these big changes?  Some changes I’m excited about.  Moving, for example.  I know it’s going to be a lot of work, but I’m stoked to be in a new happy place, with new experiences.  Changing jobs, not so much.  I was very successful and I had my comfort zone in my old gig.  I love my comfort zone.  A new job means I am firmly OUT of my comfort zone and learning from square one all over again.  Some change is scary and that’s ok.

When I was a little kid, maybe 5 years old, I took swim lessons.  I hated swim lessons as a little kid.  Putting my head under the water was a real challenge and I never liked lessons as a result.  At one particular lesson, we were supposed to jump off the diving board for the first time.  I stood out on the end of the board, looking at my instructor treading water below me and I was petrified.  I couldn’t jump the first time, so I went to the back of the line.  The second time I got out there, my instructor encouraged me and must’ve counted me down 5 times.  I was shaking so hard, my mom thought I was just going to fall off the diving board.  The entire pool stopped what they were doing to stare at me, standing there and shaking on that diving board.  After about 5 minutes of coaxing from my teacher, I finally jumped.  No, I didn’t die, even though I was pretty convinced I might!! (Hey – that big diving board was scary for a little kid.)  In fact, I surfaced to the sound of the entire pool cheering my little accomplishment.

I have learned over the years that once you see a change coming, all you can really do is jump and go all-in.  It’s like a swimming pool.  You can’t jump in the pool with one foot still on the deck.  You can’t go half-assed.  Dive in with both feet and start swimming.  It’s not easy, but committing to that change is the only constructive option.  Otherwise, you’ll just stand at the edge, paralyzed and shaking, not moving forward in life.  Just like you know how to float in water, you will adapt to your new situation.  That doesn’t mean it will come easy.  But it does mean you’ll survive and maybe come out stronger (or at least a better swimmer) on the other side.

Change can be easy and fun, or it can be really challenging.  Both versions help you to grow in the long run.  But, once you decide your new course, go for it and don’t hold back.  Just like the seasons, change will come for you, ready or not.  It’s up to you to decide how to deal with it.

How do you deal with change?  Do you make plans?  Do you make a list?  Do you just jump in and go for it?  This is something everyone has to deal with… Share your thoughts!