7 ways to manage change





 

Little tests of life shows how prepared you are for a change or turn of events in your life. People crave positive changes but are not willing to put in the required action to bring the change to fruition. I strongly believe in the motto, “no pain no gain” – now, depending on what pain means to you. It ranges from working a bit of extra hours to getting on the computers when you should be relaxing or sleeping to having to sacrifice your time, money and passion to achieve a set goal. Whatever that translates to within your schedule, it boils down to you having to get out of your comfort zone and doing otherwise, those things you will ordinarily not do on ‘a good day’.

From south to north, east to west, people of success that I have come to know are people who worked really hard to achieve their goals and remained consistence with those values such as dedication, determination, persistence, endurance, enthusiasm, optimism and hard work that ensured continued victory in the land of success.

Most times, changes are strategically planned and walked into with calculated steps, although procedures may differ from person to person, in terms of how much work was put into the planning and how great the strides were, which sometimes, make it look like the change came by sheer stroke of luck for other people.

I know there are a lot of people looking out to having great positive changes to happen in their lives but are either not sure what steps to take or afraid of taking these steps. Wherever you are; these are a few tips on how to make change happen and mange it, and don't forget that what you think is what you feel and what you feel is what you attract. This means that your thoughts greatly contributes to what becomes your reality. To attract goodness, happiness and well-being, why not try out these uncommon law of attraction methods from any of the books recommended here.



However, there are still great ways you can effectively achieve positive change in your life and business if you follow these tips.  

 Visualize the change:

Imagine what change you want, when and how you want it and keep a bird’s-eye-view of the landscape. This will help you attune your actions towards your goal and keep you focused on what you want to achieve.

Reflect on your own values, strength and weaknesses:

Spend time reflecting on your values. Weight those attributes you cherish about yourself and look inwards, as to how best you can use these values and possibly your strengths to achieve your goals. Also, think about your weaknesses and imagine how you can turn your weaknesses into strengths at this time to achieve your goals. Better still, you could find ways of seeking help to deal with these weaknesses if it’s in your way against achieving your goals.

Have a clear vision:

It is important to know what and why you want change. A sense of purpose is essential to success and effectiveness, and if you do not have a clear idea of what you want or you want it, you may not achieve any long standing change. Successful change comes when you can clarify your goals and build on the bedrock of purpose.

Be persistent:

You do not have to be a genius to achieve positive change in your life. All you need is a good sense of commitment and focus that keeps you going. Once you know what you want, find ways of getting it; keep trying. Recording progress and being grateful of the progress, no matter how little grows your strength for persistence. Never quit and remain determined with a bit of hard work. 

 Be flexible and creative:

Think outside the box, if it’s not happening one way try another direction. Do not stick solely to your ideas and knowledge, learn from other people, seek meaningful advice and be ready to change some of your ways of doing things.

Accept change and know your limits:

Life is a pool of change, so keep in mind the uncertainties that may occur. Take cognizance of those things you may not be able to change by keeping high, your abilities to adapt your situations and circumstances. Bear in mind that there is no such situation as ‘unbearable’, but rather your responses and attitudes toward these situations will affect the outcome of things.

Be optimistic:

Focus your time and energy on being positive and optimistic. Optimism gives you the power to stay on course and ability to keep striving on, well.

Achieve your goals by staying focused

Goals are central to personal success and happiness. No wonder we all go about talking setting different goals for business and life purposes. At different times in life, no doubt, there will be goals you want to work on and achieve. These may be in form of physical projects you want to embark upon or other financial goals. Setting goals do not only keep your body and mind active, it gives you a purpose to live for. Having different goals to work on enables you to live a life rid of boredom and frustration and gives you the opportunity to discover and make the best use of your potentials. No doubt setting goals may be quite challenging, but such challenges will help you grow and be who you want to be eventually. While it is quite easy for some people to come clear with their goals, others find it quite difficult to identify what their goals are, which makes it a lot difficult to solve problems they face. Getting professionals to help you with identifying and setting your goals will definitely be worthwhile.  If you are fortunate enough to clearly identify your goals at different times and different stages of your life, you then may have proved that you know what you want and perhaps also, know ways of achieving it. Your inability to deal adequately well with goal setting and achievement explains why as many people as cannot be accounted for, fall among those who constantly see themselves as not being able to achieve goals they have set for themselves.  However, once you have been able to set your goals, you must ensure to handle the processes responsibly in order to achieve success. Learn to believe in yourself, discover your true potentials and remain focused. If you are struggling believing in yourself or building your self-esteem, you can always seek help, read some personal development books, which I found help from;

and don't ever think of quitting. I know it can be daunting sometimes to stand up to some of our goal setting challenges, surrounding yourself with people of like-minds and those who will support you may just be the magic you require, but most importantly, always concentrate on your goals and create a vision to help you stay focused. 

There are really no hard and fast rules to how you can remain focused and eventually achieve what you have set out to achieve. All you need basically is the right attitude, the right approach and the right mindset.

Here are some tips for you to consider in helping you stay focused and on track, to achieve your goals.

Prioritize your goals

You may have one huge goal or several huge goals you want to accomplish at different times or at a particular time. To make your goals effective and achievable, you must learn to prioritize your goals. If you have one big goal you want to accomplish, for example you want to start your own business; break this goal into bits and pieces, and begin tackling it one goal at a time or at the most, work on the three most important phases of this goal, once accomplished, you can then move to the next level.

When you want to achieve a huge goal without breaking it down, you may stretch yourself thin, resulting in less efficiency and probably not achieving anything. So, what you do is, prioritize your goals in order of importance and then pick the most important goals; say 1-3 most important goals to start with. Do not embark on other goals if you do not complete these ones.

For example, you have about 6-7 goals to accomplish and you list them:

• Get a shop/office
• Buy some equipment
• Begin some marketing campaigns
• Build your website
• Learn more about your business and how to succeed
• Put money aside for back ups
• Get a new car for the business

Pick the most important from the list and work on them.

 

Create a vision Board 

The essence of you creating a vision board is to remind you every day of the goals you have set for yourself, so that you do not forget or lose focus or concentration. It helps you visualize your goals more clearly, which inevitably inspires you to take consistent action. What is a vision board? It’s a collage of pictures and images that represent your goals and dreams. Vision board reinforces your goals to you and reminds you to take action so as to move forward.

Ensure your drive/motivation is strong enough

Whatever goal you set must have the strength and huge motivation to keep you going no matter what. It is only then that you will be able to face challenges that come with achieving your goal and overcome these challenges. Without a strong drive for your goal, your tendency of falling by the wayside and not achieving your goal is quite high. Have you ever asked yourself why you want to become an entrepreneur? (For example).  Are you convinced of the reasons you truly want to own and start your business. Is that purpose strong enough to keep you going, etc?

Master your skills:

Obviously, great things start from small beginnings and acquiring knowledge and seeking to be better at what you do should be a lifelong thing. It may take some time for you to master all the skills required to be a guru in your chosen business, but ensure that you make all efforts necessary to improve your performance and quality of service. You must always aim to be a master at what you do and be willing to share knowledge with others.

E.G- Learn good customer relations practices, good refund practice, good marketing/advertising skills, learn to brand your products/services positively with good reputation, quality product line/ services, etc. Go for more training if need be.

 

Tackle your limiting beliefs: Often, I hear clients, friends say, “I doubt if I will be able to make it because I don’t see myself a very good business person”

I can’t manage a business because nobody in my family ever succeeded as a business man/woman. We are better at office jobs; etc. All such messages are sent to your unconscious mind and are processed and worked upon.  Now your unconscious mind will begin to respond and act upon the messages and symbols you send across, distributing the kind of energy you transmit from your conscious mind. So, if you believe you cannot make it as a business person, the response you will begin to get will be that of someone who cannot make it as a business person no matter what. So, if you’ve had any negative or limiting beliefs whatsoever find ways to work on them eradicate such and free yourself. Take advantage of the opportunities you have and make the use of your potentials.

Identify any obstacles/barriers and find ways to break them- Barriers could be inform of time, I hear people say “I’ve not been able to do...  because I haven’t got time, money, support, family, etc. Whatever the barriers are, seek help and ensure you step above such.

 

Network and surround yourself with like -minded people: Find knowledge, friendship and support to help you build a strong base for your goals.  Find ways of meeting like minded people to discuss, and explore new ideas and ways of doing things. For example, read about the latest trends around the type of goal you are embarking upon, or in your chosen business field; attend seminars and workshops and engage in other things that could help your business grow.

 Secondly, surround yourself with people who will encourage and help you accomplish your goals and also give you honest and constructive criticisms as well as challenge you towards achieving your goals.

 

Keep a progress record sheet – The importance of tracking results and achievements is to enable you to measure how well you have performed within a period of time. It helps you identify your performance metrics, and guide you as to where you need to improve or where you added value. You could keep a daily journal of your efforts and achievement, this way you will ensure taking actions and improving on your outcomes. Now are days there are so many ways of analysing the progress you make.

                                      

Celebrate achievements: One important reason you need the progress record sheet is for you to identify every success or achievement you’ve made at different stages and then celebrate those achievements. As you reach each of the milestones, give yourself a treat, pause, feel the accomplishment and enjoy the pleasure that comes with such success before moving on. As you savour the joy of your accomplishments you will believe more in yourself and strongly that you will in fact reach your goal.