Flood of Change

It would be an understatement to say there has been a flood of change these last few years.

Professionally, the landscape of work as we know it completely changed in March of 2020.

In the years following, I hit the road solo on Covid Quest (just one State to go!). Along the many routes, the scenery changed often. But it was heavier than that. Relationships changed. Contracts changed. I changed.

Finally, in the spring of 2023, I settled down in my forever home. I was overcome with deep feelings of peace, stability, safety, love, acceptance and happiness. I never wanted it to change.

Then the flood came. Curses, Idalia! My new (perfect!) normal way of life changed.

How I kept my sanity through that (some might argue I didn’t) is beyond me, but I credit my career. My inner Change Champion cheered me on—“You know what to do. You’ve coached thousands through change.”

So I went into analysis. What self-imposed “how it’s done” are you clinging to like a life raft? What skills do you need to adopt in this new normal? What are your points of resistance?

“I don’t want things to change! I liked the old way!”, was the usual sob-filled, tantrum-like answer.

Exhaustion quickly set it. Saturated, literally this time, by yet another change—this one being completely out of my control. Days were spent in self-criticism for not knowing what to do or how to fix things. Fear of the unknown set in hard.

(OCM lesson – don’t leave your end users feeling overwhelmed, dumb, scared and helpless. They don’t want to change, no matter how many times you tout “enhanced security features”.)

As I write this blog, the first since TFF (I’ll let you figure out the curse words), it feels good to be back to an old routine in a new normal. I’m still practicing the skill of letting go, but did pick up some handy new home skills along the way. There’s always a new normal.

We must build dikes of courage to hold back the flood of fear.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Shannon Vasko is a natural-born planner with a passion for strategy and integrated communications. © MI Compass Services.