by Margaret Hirsch
The way to conquer any fear of change is to display an open-mindedness to new ideas and desires in your life. To get ahead one has to demonstrate a willingness to do things differently from everyone else and this in itself is a challenge as it’s so much easier to go with the flow - to fit in - to be one of the sheep.
It’s much more difficult but so much more rewarding, in your life, to strive for constant improvement. This takes dedication, perseverance, and focus. The Japanese have a single word for “constant and never-ending improvement”, and it’s called “Kaizen.” Kaizen is from the Japanese words Kai, meaning change and Zen meaning good, so they believe, as I do, that change is good.
To really get ahead one has to take a creative approach to change, totally step of that cozy comfort zone and literally take the plunge as you would into an ice bath, to make changes in your life. Acknowledge what is needed to change and decide where you want to be and what you want to be saying to everyone as you lie on your death bed, thinking back on your life.
The teachings over the past couple of centuries have been to think of the worst possible case scenario - change this to thinking about and looking at every situation optimistically - ask yourself, what’s the best thing that could happen if I did this? Once you decide, and it’s the decision that counts, that you are going to go for it then don’t stress about it, just analyse the positives instead of the negatives but always be flexible and embrace whatever changes need to be made to get you to your end objective.
They say there are only two certainties in life, death, and taxes, but I disagree. They forgot the word change. One thing is for certain, we live in a changing world and change is going to happen whether we like it or not. When I look back at the changes in the world and my life from when I was born till now, those changes have been phenomenal in all aspects.
Also, the change in myself, from the day, and I do remember the day, right to the hour and minute. I decided to change my life from a life of lack and poverty to a life of wealth and abundance. It’s as easy as just that, you have to change your mind to change your life. How do you do this? Well, the first thing to do is start with seeing yourself where you want to be and consider the change from every aspect.
Start with the end in mind and work backwards to today. Understand that there will be many different issues to face along the way but also have the confidence to know that you can do anything. God will always give you the strength if you want things badly enough. Sit in a quiet place and just brainstorm, write everything down as it comes into your mind, and you will be shocked as to how quickly things will fall into place. Immediately take the first steps to implement the change (i.e. if you want that fancy car, go to the dealership, and make an offer, sort out the finance and commit to taking the first steps to implement the change. Totally leave your previous identity of saying ‘I can’t afford it”, if you say that even to yourself, you will never afford it.
The two words I love to say are “IT’S POSSIBLE” Just know that everything is possible. I am living proof of that, coming out of a foster home in Loop Street Pietermaritzburg to now owning the biggest appliance company in South Africa and having the opportunity to travel the world and be financially independent is a giant step for any human! To accomplish what you want to have, where you want to be in your life and to become the person you would like to be you have to live the change, and its consequences.
Why do most people do not get what they want? They don’t know what they want! One has to be crystal clear as to what is wanted. For instance, you can’t just say “I want a new car", you need to specify silver Mercedes C180 compressor with black upholstery, and I will win it in a competition.
Of course, then you have to take the first steps to:
1. Put a picture of just that on your vision board, the car, the competition and you winning.
2. Next to you need to go to the dealership and sit in the motor car of your dreams and smell the smell of the leather seats, take it for a drive around the parking lot, feel the steering, the power brakes, put the aircon on and just absorb the feeling of having it. Then take the first step. In my case it was to enter every competition that had that car as a prize, and before I knew it (well it did take one year) I was the proud owner of a silver Mercedes C180 compressor motor car which I won in a competition for selling the most TV's for a specific brand, in one year.
Adopting a powerful mindset where you really focus on what you want means that you need to embrace change, it will allow you grow, learn, and adapt to new situations. Change always leads to not just career development but more importantly, development in yourself. Change has to be approached with an open mind and a willingness to step out of your comfort zone and explore new opportunities.
There has to be a massive mindset shift to change challenges into opportunities and it’s like eating an elephant, you can only take one bite at a time. Nothing will change overnight but if you can work on being 1% closer to your goal every day, you will be 365% closer by the end of a year.
All challenges, no matter how large, should be viewed as an opportunity for growth and development. If you look at the challenges, one by one and make arrangements to overcome them, you will easily find solutions, think of it as taking steps up a ladder. Your creativity will be enhanced, you will learn new skills and discover a strength and resilience in yourself that you never thought you had!! This will undoubtedly lead to personal and professional growth both in the workplace and at home.
By embracing a new mindset, you will be empowered to look at different perspectives and think out the box. This approach encourages learning, adaptability, and the chance to discover innovative solutions that you had never thought of before.
Once you have committed and planned a realistic course of action, it has to be implemented immediately. Close off all other options, there must be no plan B to fall back on, and just keep moving forward in the direction of your dream. This is the hardest step but there can be no change without it. You now have to work flat out to make it successful.
Let go of your previous life totally and never focus on what you have lost but rather what you have gained by taking this massive step.
The great Les Brown always says, “life is hard, get used to it.” Change is difficult but if you want to succeed, make something of your life and leave a legacy, change is inevitable. New courses of action need to be taken, and you need to think through every step of the way, but never wait for everything to be perfect as that day will never come. Decide what you want to do and then start right now, with what you have, where you are and work from there. It does take time and we live in an instant society and most things happening with the click of a button, even groceries are delivered in less than 60 minutes. However, we have not been able to speed up a pregnancy, this still takes 9 months and making a change takes time.
Once you set the steps you know which direction you are going. Some steps are quick and are achieved easily, other steps are slower and seem to take for ever. Sometimes it’s like pulling back the arrow, you need to take a step backwards before you can go forwards, but always take time to confront unresolved issues and move as fast as you can, take as long as you must but stick to the process with tenacity and resilience and I absolutely guarantee that you will achieve all your dreams.
Much Love,
Margaret Hirsch