When I’d worked in the third sector and the commercial world in communications and marketing roles for around 10 years, I landed my first corporate job, at a large telecoms company. The jump from the charity sector to the commercial world was something, but nothing had prepared me for the scale of the change going from the commercial world to (this particular) corporate. The pace was insane and my first year was really tough. I remember waking up one morning, sitting on the edge of the bed and realising that I hated my job, which was never a place I wanted to be. But I stuck it out and about a year in, I realised I was really enjoying it. From that point on, I loved my time and had a great 3 years there before moving on to other corporates. Looking back, I’ve never experienced so much professional growth and development as in that first year. It was hard, but it changed me for the better, and has set up much of my subsequent professional journey.
Three types of change
We’ve been thinking a lot about understanding change - what is it? Why do we find it hard? How do we thrive through it? First up, here are three types of change that we all experience.
Change happens
Can’t get away from it. Change is another one of those ubiquitous elements of our lives on this changing planet. But why? At least some of the answer to that question is because we are time-bound and therefore always changing. There’s an element of change that it is something that is just happening, it’s inevitable and unavoidable, like our bodies that grow in our youth and then age. It’s tangible, we can see and feel it, it shapes us and it impacts us, it’s not a solely positive or negative thing, it just...is.
Change that happens around us
Our world and things around us are always changing. These are things in society like a recession, war in Europe or the introduction of generative AI, things happening in our lives like getting a new job, having a child or moving house, or changes in our relationships.
Change that happens within
Then there’s the trickiest of all - change of ourselves, whether psychologically, emotionally or spiritually. This kind of change can be desirable like ‘having a new lease of life’ or challenging, like struggling with mental health and wellbeing.
Any of these different categories of change can be fundamental and significant, or in some ways minor and imperceptible to the point that we may hardly notice. But there are a few certainties. Change is happening all the time to everyone and ultimately, everything is in a state of growth or decay.
The nature of change
‘I just want things to stay the same.’
We’ve all heard it, or maybe said it. This is the one thing that is impossible, but here’s the thing. Change isn’t bad in and of itself. We’ve found that, whilst change is so often hard, it’s also necessary, beneficial and hopeful.
Some people find change harder than others (more on this in a moment) but, in general, change is hard even when the change is resulting in a ‘good’ thing. This is largely down to its connection to uncertainty. Change means that whatever is happening is going to be different to how it is right now, and that means uncertainty. We can find uncertainty difficult because we have an unerring desire to have a sense of control. (Read more of our thoughts on uncertainty here.) But that change is hard isn’t the same as it being bad. Here are the positive aspects of change:
Change is a sign of life
Think about the miracle of our bodies healing after an injury. There’s a gaping wound - if our bodies didn’t change at that point, that wound would remain. No, the body automatically kicks into healing mode, clots the blood and, after a good amount of time, all that’s left is a scar. That scar is a symbol of the vitality of the body as it has navigated a change.
Change is growth
In a less gory way, watch a seedling slowly change into a grand oak tree, or a baby change into a toddler, then a little child, a teenager and into an adult. Growth is a form of change and we wouldn’t be here without it.
Change brings rich relationships
We’ve found that we change together within relationships through shared experiences, good times and hard times. It’s easy to cringe when we look back at what we were like 10 or even 5 years ago. We can’t go back - and we wouldn’t want to! The constant change that we experience brings a richness and dynamism to relationships that, without it, may stagnate.
Change brings an interesting and exciting adventure of a life
It may sound a bit idealistic (hey, we’re ok with that - see our blog on idealism here), but living through change, whether that’s embracing life changing technology, having children, meeting the new neighbours or getting a different take-away one week (!), keeps life interesting and exciting. The (impossible) alternative is Groundhog Day. Some of us felt a glimpse of it during the lockdowns in the pandemic. When there was an absence of tangible existential milestones (celebrating birthdays, seeing people, taking trips), the passage of time became harder to follow. It got a bit ‘lather, rinse, repeat’.
It’s often only in hindsight that you see change as beneficial
This was certainly my experience of beginning in the corporate world. It was only because I was indoctrinated with my dad’s wisdom of always sticking at a new job for at least a year before moving on, that I stuck it out and now see that year as one of the most influential in my career to date. It was like bootcamp, preparing me, not only for thriving for more years there, but also easily being able to transition to other corporates and other endeavours later on.
This is especially true when going through truly hard times. It’s only later, sometimes years later, when we can see how we grew through that event or experience and how it has shaped who we are today. It doesn’t change how hard that time was, but it is amazing how hard times are often a catalyst for growth.
The more you embrace change, the more you can embrace change
Like with most things in life, embracing change takes practice. We’ve found that, as time goes on and as we live through more and more change, it can become easier to embrace. Change often brings opportunity, even if it doesn’t seem so at the time. Embracing change makes you more resilient to change.
The best thing about change
There’s one idea that we love about change and it’s a fundamental part of life.
Change brings hope
Life is tough. Not all the time for everyone, but certainly for everyone some of the time. The fact that change is central and foundational to life means there is hope - the hope that change is possible. In fact, change is a prerequisite for hope. If change wasn’t a given, there wouldn’t be hope. Difficult situations will change. Tough relationships will change. We can change.
Do you need change? You’re in the right place!
How do we embrace change?
With the waves of change being so powerful and fundamental in our lives, how do we embrace it so we thrive, rather than fear it and constantly get pounded by the waves. The trick is to ride on the waves. To learn to surf. Part two of our thoughts on change is coming next month.
little BIG ideas
A little summary of this big idea using the 1000 most common words
Change is always happening. It can be big or small, good or bad. It is often hard. Sometimes when we look back we see how change has helped us. Change gives us hope because it means we can change.