Embrace the Change – A key to personal and professional growth

Over the past four weeks we introduced you to Tom and his struggles and strides that he made in addressing call reluctance.  We discussed the causes and came up with answers that started his process of transition.  This afforded Tom an objective look at himself as well as allowing himself to identify his self-induced fears that can surface when you are stretched beyond your comfort zone.  Negative thoughts affect our confidence.  It’s impossible to think negative thoughts and feel good at the same time.  As I told one of my interns the other day, people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.  We all have good and bad moments, days, months, and sometimes years to move on with the understanding that we can control where we are going by how we display our behavior, activity, accountability, and attitudes based on the real business world that we live in. 

In this week’s blog we will be talking about change.  People of all walks of life are resistant to change, they are comfortable with the status quo.  The problem with this mindset however, is that the world is not in a state of homeostasis.  We are in a time of drastic changes; technologically, economically, and socially.  Sticking with the status quo will not get you the results that you wish to see in your business life.  Although people are afraid of change they are welcoming to the successes and differences that change can bring.  In beginning to change however, one has to get out of their comfort zone and do things that they have never done before.

Let me assure you that I’ve been where you are at in many cases and you can’t write about these issues if you have never had to experience and deal with them.  Each and every day people need to decide to come out of their comfort zone and promote self growth in order to become excellent prospectors, or as I like to refer to them, effective explorers.  Everything we do in life has a starting point, the beginning, the development phase, which I refer to as R&D, and finally to the success or failure mode.  Your success or failure will be directly determined by your personal effort to change and step outside your comfort zone.  These changes will only take root however, after a series of positive reinforcements.  Change is not easy, but it is still necessary.  As Thomas Friedman wrote, “the average is kaput,” this means that the status quo is no longer going to cut it, and that your success is now dependent upon the changes that you are willing to make. 

Next week we will continue discussing personal change and how it can benefit not only your personal growth but your business growth as well.  I’ll introduce you to one of my past clients, Rebecca, and we will discuss some of the changes she made in her life so that she could grow personally and professionally.