Get a life

Cartoon by Hugh MacLeod

As I sit here I am contemplating some recent changes I’ve made in my life.

Some I chose willingly and even happily, and some I just chose because the alternatives available to me were no longer working for me.

I’m much, much happier about the first set of changes, although those did not transpire entirely without pain or consequence, either.

And the latter set of changes…well, while I wasn’t happy about the way things were, I’m not at all happy about the way things are now either.

Those are the choices that REALLY suck.

You want A but you have B and that’s not working for you. A is still not an option, so you choose C…and then you realize that C is even further away from A than B was.

UGH.

A long time ago, a good — and very wise — friend said to me:

“People only make a change when it’s easier to make the change than it is to stay the same.”

Remember the book “Who Moved My Cheese?” by Spencer Johnson, M.D.?

That book was a real eye-opener for me at a time when I really needed it.

I was working for a major U.S. life insurance company that was demutualizing in order to go public. The company was more than 150 years old and many, MANY of the corporate executives as well as agency managers, regional directors, and RVPs that I worked with had been with the company for 25 or 30 years or more.

Their entire careers.

They had started their careers there and they would end them there.

You want to talk about resistant to change??

As a twenty-something who made VP at a very early age and had a LOT riding on my shoulders during that time, it was a fabulous – though amazingly difficult – learning experience.

I mean, painful.

So much anxiety I had to see a therapist on a weekly basis just to DEAL.

The book helped me look around and see how people were either accepting change and moving forward successfully — or not.

It was a huge life lesson for me and something that is helping me process some things that I’m dealing with right now on a personal level.

Change happens.

And then more change happens.

And then more change happens after that.

Some of it we choose; some of it we like — and much of it we do not choose or like.

But we do choose how we react to it.

Lots of people have had lots of struggles over the past couple of years. Myself included.

I’ve seen so many people reach out and band together — to lend a hand to help others in whatever way they can…be it time, expertise, or money.

Some excellent examples in the recruiting and HR community are Mark Stelzner of JobAngels, and Robin Eads of JobShouts.

I’m a firm believer in the concept that a rising tide lifts all boats.

(Uh, I just realized. Kind of ironic to mention that on this day, Round 17 or whatever it is of #ATLflood…)

Anyway.

By now I am sure you are wondering what my point is and what all of this has to do with blogging.

When I first started this blog I was a prolific writer.

I was committed and I could not crank the blog posts out fast enough.

I averaged at least five a week and many times more than one in a day.

Over the past few months that deluge has dwindled to a mere trickle, and right now I would say that this blog is on life support.

I promised to bring it back and I am going to.

I promised all three of my readers – and more importantly (no offense), I promised myself.

In order to do that I’m going to have to make some changes in my life.

Some will be comfortable and others will not.

It will require re-dedication and a lot of time and thought – which will mean taking time and energy away from things I may otherwise do instead.

However, I know firsthand the benefits and rewards from being a dedicated blogger (we’ll cover that list another time!)

I know it’s only Step 2 of 12 and I have a long way to go…but I’m back, my friends.

I’m back.

Tagged as: Blogging, Cartoon by Hugh, change, Get a life, Stephanie A. Lloyd

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