As they say…quotes on change

Rounding off this month’s focus on change, we take a look at five of the most well-known quotes on change and ask whether they are more than just oft-repeated Pinterest-worthy pieces of ‘advice’ with no substance.

A change is as good as a rest

We challenge this quote because rest IS important. Jumping from one busy role into another with no down-time in between is most likely not going to make you feel well rested. Quite the opposite in fact. This is why we at NMIOB always recommend making the most of your holiday allowance or scheduling in strict days off if you’re in control of your schedule. Whether you choose to splash out on one big holiday a year or break it up with a day or two off every six weeks, fully switching off from your day to day work will get your thoughts flowing again and allow you to take a step back and review if you’re satisfied with your routine. One thing to bear in mind though: we do recommend making sure those days of rest change up every now and again. Going to the same resort each year is not going to fire any new neurons in your brain and as a result your life and thoughts will remain pretty similar year in year out. In fact, we might recommend changing the quote to, ‘A rest is an opportunity to change.’

The only constant in life is that everything will change

And thank God for that! Can you imagine a life where nothing ever changes? The words ‘dull’ and ‘dishwater’ spring to mind. Changes which you consciously make: moving house, where to go on holiday, which shoes to buy are the kinds of positive changes which you probably welcome. But the unwelcome changes, the ones out of control which hit you suddenly and spin your life upside down – we understand that you’d rather nothing changes than have to deal with that. Time for tough love: the sooner you accept change is inevitable, the better. That’s not to say unwanted change will become easy to handle, just that having the right tools in place to deal with it will make a world of difference in how you react. These tools are the kind of thing coaching can help you put in place to face changes in the future.

Be the change you want to see

It’s so easy to look at others lives and careers and think they’ve got lucky, they know the right people, they have skills and characteristics you don’t…But you know that’s not true, really. Most likely, they’ve just made the most of what skills and connections they have by being straightforward about what they want in life and work. So if you look at your company’s less than adequate environmental policy and feel it’s not good enough, offer up your suggestions of how it can be improved. Not getting enough support from senior members of staff? Suggest a mentoring scheme. If you don’t initiate change- who will?

Change nothing and nothing changes

We understand that change is scary and that even the most positive changes can sometimes make you feel paralysed, but this quote really resonates with us. After all, we’re sure there are times you’ve felt frustrated with a close one’s choices (they keep complaining about their job, why don’t they just change it?) – don’t let yourself be in the same position! Standing up for what you want and making it happen takes courage, but tackling where you want to be in small steps is not so nerve-wracking.

If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.

This quote pretty much summarises what coaching is all about. Sometimes it’s really not about the people around you or the circumstances you find yourself in, it’s about how you react to the situation. Ok, we know it’s not as easy as looking at being fired as a ‘chance to explore what you really want’ but given time, you’ll be in a position to look back and see that without that unwanted change, you wouldn’t be where you are now. Taking your time to think about how you feel about a change – and why you feel that way – will make further steps much clearer.

No more ifs or buts.