Have you ever seen those drawings that offer to two different pictures or interpretations? Either you see two people looking at each other or you see an eaten apple. An old man or a young lady. A rabbit or a duck.
There are all kinds of those images floating around. They’re meant to test our perspective on the world. Often we can’t control what we see in the image.
How we approach the world and its changes are similar to looking at these images. The way we interpret what is happening around us will have an impact on our life and success.
At work, change will happen. If we don’t like the outcome it could be a result of the way we are looking at the situation.
Here are a few thoughts on how to handle change at work.
1. You’re Not Alone
Sometimes when change occurs it can feel like it’s happening only to us. At work, maybe there have been one, two or more people that have left recently. That can cause more work for you, but also likely for others. It may be that you were friends with those that left. But if they were great people they probably had lots of other friends in the office.
Knowing that we’re not alone in the world is usually comforting. Knowing that others feel the same feelings and share the same experiences gives us reassurance that we can overcome and adapt. And it’s not just people living right now. Humans have been dealing with change forever. And no change that occurs today hasn’t occurred in the past.
2. Think Back On Previous Change
When things occur in the present it’s easy to get caught up in the moment. We see the instant change occurring right now. It can be scary.
It can help to take a moment to think back on the last time change occurred in the office. Maybe someone is leaving now. When was the last time someone left? It helps to remember when things like this happened because we often forget. We adapt and move on.
This can be comforting. It helps us to know that we will get through the current change. We will figure out how to adapt. We will be ok.
3. Happiness Isn’t Dependent On Outcomes
It can seem that happiness comes from outcomes. And perhaps it’s true. We get a new job that we really worked hard for. We studied. We practiced interviewing. Or maybe you lost a certain amount of weight. You fee and look great. You worked really hard to eat better and to workout more.
The outcomes are wonderful. But attaching happiness to outcomes is tricky. The outcome is not always what we planned on happening, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad.
This is actually a driving force at Pixar, the giant movie studio. They often focus on stories where the protagonist wants a certain thing to occur, but in the end they get something different. Different, but still good and often better than they wanted.
In Toy Story, for example, Woody was going through all kinds of change. A big move. And a new toy, Buzz Lightyear. Woody really didn’t want Buzz to join the gang. But in the end, Buzz became a great friend of Woody.
Change is happening. You may really want to go back. Or you may really want a certain outcome. Be open to what will happen. It could be better than you realize.
Final Thoughts
Change will happen in the workplace. The company will make changes. People will come and go. You know it will happen. It can help to realize that it will happen and to plan for it. And be open to the change. Think back on what has changed in the past. Things likely moved on and perhaps even improved. That can and will occur again.