don's report archive

by Donald B. Ardell, Ph. D.

Wellness in the Headlines
(Don's Report to the World)

One of the two major candidates for president made "change we can believe in" a theme of his campaign. This might imply that the other guy does not want change at all or favors what? Change you can't believe in?

It's a good slogan, politically. Hell, given the nature of the economy, how the US is now perceived in the rest of the world, the state of the health care system and so on, who would not want change - in these and many other areas of life? The state of everything is so bad under the incumbent Republican administration that Republican McCain is going to have to emphasize that he wants change, too, at least as much as Democrat Obama.

In a way, there is something ironic about calling for change. It's a bit like expressing a desire for tomorrow; change is going to happen whether you seek it, want it or are ready to deal with it - or not. Change is a constant. It is inevitable, even inexorable. The question to ask, when someone starts promising change, is: "What kind of change?"

"The more things change, the more they stay the same" is a popular French expression (I'll resist the temptation to include a pretentious French language version of the phrase - you probably would not be impressed anyway!). Who needs French when everyone understands the basic idea of deja vu? Oops. Anyway, some "changes" do seems vaguely familiar, as if the events experienced had occurred earlier in life.

Among the changes nearly everyone experiences, often on a recurring basis, are career challenges, relationships issues and anxieties about your abilities, your expectations and even your values. Of course some of these things stay the same for a while, evolving gradually over time. Therefore, an ability to manage change is a key element in your capacity to stay healthy and experience a successful life.

According to Webster, change is "to become different, to pass from one phase to another, to undergo transformation and transition." This is what happens in life, we change as do all organisms -- the economy changes, society changes, our needs, preferences, and desires change -- almost everything changes and very little stays the same.

Yet, despite the fact that it happens all the time, change usually entails lots of stress. This is the case today as it has been in the past -- don't expect this to "change" any time soon. Futurists and others who write about these things believe the rate of change in years to come will be unprecedented.

We live in a global information age and many workers are literally running faster to stay in the same place, like Alice in her fictional Wonderland. Only now the nature of the changes for many is not so wonderful. We must develop a better capacity to welcome, manage and turn change to advantage.

Consider this: The amount of information generated from 1960 to 1985 is said to have equaled what had previously taken five thousand years; further, this doubling occurred again in last fifteen years! The current estimate is that the next doubling will occur in five years--hold on to your hat!

Leland Kaiser, one of my professors when I was studying for a doctorate in the late seventies, said, "Don't wait for the future, invent it now." How does that work?

Well, that's for us to figure out, but a few broad suggestions might be helpful for getting organized psychologically for the coming challenges of change.

With respect to income, be flexible about the way you work, enhance your skills at every chance, read widely, take classes, tour the Internet and work your varied communities (network). Think often about your gifts, interests and passions. Be a high-speed adapter and, whenever possible, a problem solver. Take improvisation to a new personal level -- make it an art form. Hard work, tenacity, adaptability, and risk taking will trump genius, wealth, and connections, although these last three advantages are pretty good, too. In your spare time, save the world, or a small piece of it. Change affects the least prepared, too, and you can gain peace of mind as well as personal benefits (e.g., self satisfaction) by reaching out and being of service to others, such as your family, spouse, friends, and/or organizations that need your help adapting to change. Pay takes many forms and money for services rendered is not necessarily the only payback for creative investments.

In these ways and more, we can all seek change we can believe in. All the best, be well and look on the bright side.

Note: An earlier version of this essay appeared here on January 16, 2002 entitled Change.

(Note: This essay will be filed in the archives in the MENTAL DOMAIN under the skill area of stress management. Additional articles related to this theme may be found there.)

(Ed. Note: Views expressed in this and other columns are those of the author and not necessarily those of the SeekWellness Editorial Board.)

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