What’s Your Attitude to Change?
How to find your sweet spot.
I’ve spent most of my life thinking, talking about, working in and living the topic of change.
I’ve lived in 9 different countries, and studied 6 languages aside from my native English.
It’s fair to conclude that I’m pretty obsessed with change.
So I decided to think about why that is and what it means for me.
Since we are all surrounded by change - either choosing it or having to deal with it - you might like to do the same.
Why change suits me:
👍🏼 It’s exciting
Change means unpredictability. Surprises. New experiences. Different people. It’s a multi-passionate person’s dream. Never boring. And boredom is my nemesis. Sadness is not the opposite of happiness. Boredom is.
👍🏼 Challenging
I love to learn, and relish a challenge. Sometimes I grumble, but deep down I know that I need things to be a bit tricky to stay engaged.
👍🏼 A bit scary
Change makes me feel alive. I’m not a thrill seeker who goes for adrenaline sports. I’m not even keen on roller coasters. But I do like adventures based around travelling, meeting new people and learning about other cultures.
What I have to look out for:
⚠️ It’s addictive
Changing things can become a habit, and can hinder me from developing long-term goals.
⚠️ Takes a toll on relationships
Change always implies loss. And one of the main areas to take a hit from me moving around a lot is relationships. Over the years, I have prioritised visiting family regularly, and friends as often as possible, but I’m aware that it’s never enough.
⚠️ Requires energy and other resources
It can get tiring moving, looking for opportunities, overcoming obstacles and learning new things. And also sometimes expensive.
Occasionally I fantasise about a quieter life, fitting into one culture from birth. But then I remember why I love change and try to embrace it, warts and all.
A business case study
Working as a management consultant in transformation was the ideal job for me. It provided an immense amount of variety. I worked on all kinds of projects in various industries, locations and organisations across a range of sectors.
The work was intellectually challenging and required a lot of energy. No two projects were alike, so creativity was key. And excellent teamwork was essential. We were always looking for results greater than the sum of the parts.
Even though I went freelance two decades ago, I kept the same attitude to work with a portfolio approach.
These days I work as a consultant, a cross-cultural trainer, an English as a Foreign Language teacher, and a writer and illustrator. Not to mention acting as producer for my journalist husband.
A life example
As a child, I dreamed of travelling the world.
Summer holidays in France, Germany and Switzerland planted the seed. Although, strangely, the two countries I longed to explore - China and Egypt - are among those I yet to visit.
But I made my dream come true. I have lived in 9 countries: Britain, France, Italy, Japan, Australia, Cambodia, Singapore, Serbia and Slovenia.
And the experiences have taught me more than I could ever have imagined about different cultures, my homeland and myself.
Finding the right level of change
Living and working with a relatively high degree of change, I’m always looking for harmony.
A balance of:
Change and routine
Structure and chaos
Focus and exploration
Consolidation and expansion
That’s why I prefer to:
Travel but live in one place for several years, learn some of the language and make friends with locals as well as foreigners;
Take working holidays - combine work trips with leisure;
Combine movement and relaxation - sketching the places I visit (like Ptuj, Slovenia, illustrated above);
Have a flexible routine with a choice of activities and tasks whenever possible;
Block some time to concentrate on a project, but leave time to improvise;
Mix or flip between work and leisure throughout the day;
Balance a portfolio of jobs and income streams; and
Prioritise family.
Getting the balance right is not always easy.
Change always feels different, depending on personality, current circumstances and preferences.
So I always come back to my values to help me set my priorities:
🧠 Learning
🪇 Variety
❤️ Love/relationships
🎨 Creativity
🌳 Nature.
Over to you
Here are some questions to help you determine your attitude to change. And to decide whether you need to make any adjustments at work or in life to find your sweet spot:
How much change are you comfortable with at the moment?
What features of change do you easily embrace?
What features do you need to beware of?
What aspects of your personality/lifestyle/job are important relative to change?
How do your values fit with your attitude to change?
How do/can you create a better balance?
Life is an adventure and everyone’s map looks different. 🗺️