If you’ve been reading my blog, over the past couple of weeks you’ve probably suspected something has been up. First I was talking about being faced with making a big decision and then I was talking about going away parties and having time off. Well, the good news is I haven’t been fired- phew! And the better news is that I was contacted by a former coworker asking if I’d like to come work with her and some others at the company they are at now.

I was by no means looking for a new job and always thought that my next move would be into the health/fitness/wellness area, but sometimes opportunities come your way that you can’t pass up. This was one of those. I won’t get into the specifics, but I will say that it is a promotional move, allowing me the opportunity to manage others as well as projects and I will be making a lot more money.

But with those things also comes something I’m not always good at dealing with: change.

Source

Change can be good or change can be bad. But the one thing either direction of change shares in common is that you will be dealing with, faced with or doing something different. While some people seemingly thrive and live for change, I tend to be the opposite. I like my routines and schedules and knowing what to expect and change certainly leaves those things up in the air until the newness wears off, right?

Since yesterday was my last day at my former company and I now have a week and a half until I start my new job, I thought it might help me deal with and face the changes that I’ll be experiencing a little better if I wrote them down. And hopefully you guys can help share your “secrets” that help you deal with change better!

Try not to dwell on the past and stay away from the comparison trap

Sure, there were some great aspects about my job and perks that came with it, but there must have been something that didn’t make me happy and make me want to change jobs. Dwelling on the things I’m going to miss, the location of the job and incredibly flexible work schedule could likely hold me back from giving everything to my new job. Also, whenever I’m faced with a new change I often get caught up comparing the two: we did this here, we didn’t have that opportunity, it might be better if you did it how we used to do it… etc. etc. Comparison traps like that doesn’t do anything for allowing you to move forward and progress, it often just holds you back, so being cognizant of that will hopefully help me stay away from it.

Talk with others

I’ve had a number of friends and former coworkers go through the exact same change I’m going through right now, and you know what? They are all doing juuuuust fine in their new spots. I’m sure many of you have gone through changes- whether it be jobs, relationships, where you live, etc., too, right? Did you find it helpful to talk to others to see how they dealt with the change? Talking to friends about what to expect helped me get excited about the change rather than fear it.

Go with the flow

So my schedule may be off for the first few weeks or months at my new job, but you know what? That’s ok! That’s part of what makes change so exciting. I’m not always good at going with the flow, but in situations like this, I know it is necessary… and I also know I am capable of doing it.

Write down things that excite me about the new change I’m about to face

Talking to people within my new company or hearing about things the company has to offer gets me really excited about the change and the decision I made. Things will surely be different, but that’s part of what makes this next move so fun: being a manager and learning how to manage others, learning new things, working with new people, facing new challenges- all of these things make me EXCITED to start my new job. Just writing that down made me feel really happy, so it’s clear sometimes I just need a little reminder 🙂

Source
Embrace the change and soak it all in

It won’t be long until the newness wears off, so during the time everything still feels new, I’m going to try and really soak it in an appreciate it. I know there will be times I feel overwhelmed or frustrated because of the change, but those are also the times when I end up learning and remembering the most.

At the end of the day, I weighed my pros and cons and really thought long and hard about the decision I had to make and tried to envision where I saw myself happiest 6 months down the road. Although my move wasn’t into a full time health/fitness/wellness job, for right now, I think it was the right move for me. But, if all else fails, maybe I’ll take this route:

Thanks for sharing, Alice! 🙂

Questions for you: How do you deal with change? Do you thrive off of change or does it stress you out? Do you have advice to keep me calm? When’s the last time you were faced with a change?