I was looking at a television show the other night and an old advertisement came on showing people smoking in the office, at their desks, and so on. It got me to thinking how much things have changed since my early days back in the sixties. I certainly am not suggesting we go back to the days of smoking in the workplace. Look at all the other things that have changed such as the transportation industry, the manufacturing sector, and certainly technology. Time have changed, some for the better and some maybe not as good as we would have liked. I was discussing some transportation issues with a fellow colleague about the image of the truck driver and how that has changed over time. Do you remember the days when transport drivers wore ties and a uniform? I certainly do as I had to wear those as a mover, we were only allowed to take our ties off if we were actually lifting furniture. Today most movers wear t-shirts. With an average industry age of fifty five years it isn’t surprising that the industry has people remembering the old ways and resisting change. As change comes on more forcefully and impacts our lives on a daily lives the movement of resistance becomes even stronger. So how do you deal with the changes and keep yourself up to date with your industry and lives?

Well you can resist it all you want, but I can tell you that you won’t win. I have seen so many people fight change only to have to give in at a later date down the road. Think of the Grandmother that wants to stay in touch with their Grandkids. I have a relative that likes to travel and used to phone to book their travel arrangements. Years ago they had to learn to use the computer to book reservations or give up traveling because everything is done online now a days. You can resist change all you want and opt out of communicating with society or you can learn to live with change and do your best to stay in the game. In my courses I tell my students that it is important that they keep up with changes and even more important keep up with changes in their industry. Here are some ideas on how to keep up and keep yourself in the game for the future.

The first thing is to decide what you need and where you want to go in the future. If you are in your fifties where do you want to go in the next ten years, will you be driving, be in business, retired, or stuck in a job that you hate? Once you have decided on the path you want to go, decide what you need to get there. Now if you have been resisting change up until now decide where you need to change and investigate how you can implement that into your daily routine. For instance if you have been resisting to use a cell phone, investigate the features of one you would like and learn how it can improve your daily life such as easier communication or better time management. Educate yourself by investigating a course on something you would like to learn whether it is for work or a hobby and dedicate the time to learn it to improve yourself.

We all resist change but the best way to combat it is to use it on a daily basis and learn how it can best help move you forward. I remember when websites came out and I learned how to design so I could update my own website and today I offer that service to others. So change can be good, it is how you look at it that really takes insight and is the true resistance.

About the Author
Bruce Outridge is a business and leadership consultant and author of the books Running by the Mile, Driven to Drive, and How to Start and Artistic Business in 12 Easy Steps. For more information on Bruce and his work please visit his website at http://www.outridge.ca