The Joys of Being a Change Agent

One thing I’ve learned about myself recently is that I love change. I love learning, but more importantly, I love applying what I pick up to make something else - related or not - better. I’m an agent of change.

There’s a certain sense of happiness that I gather from being around a dynamic environment it seems. Affecting, leading and being a part of a change is empowering to those that embrace challenge and understand that there is always a better way to do things. Tomorrow, you’ll have more knowledge and more experience - if you’re asked to solve the same problem as today, odds are you’ll do it better. Understanding this gives me the strength to embrace change.

Fool’s Game: Holding on to Now

These days nothing is constant. The world is moving faster than you can possibly keep up with it. Those of us close to technology know this all too well. It’s simply folly to consider any process or state as being permanent.

Many people though, live seeking this permanent state. They gather strength from the certainty of the process, from the definite outcome and routine application - regardless of efficiency, cost or result. These people eventually become extinct, if not literally then figuratively. It’s a sad reality.

Power from Chaos

Thinking positively about change and deriving energy from it gives you several advantages.

You Provide Value - Change agents, by looking for new and better ways of doing things are a valuable commodity to a business. Assuming that the net result of change is a happier customer or more efficient process, directing change almost always has a measurable effect on the bottom line, and that gets you noticed.

Failure Doesn’t Bother You - When change itself becomes easy, making the wrong change becomes a lot less troublesome. In this sense, you’re more likely to act and adjust than to sit motionless deliberating. This also means you’re more likely to go with the flow when you’re not calling the shots too, since you know that if it doesn’t work out, you can just change the “flow”.

Naturally Forward Looking - Embracing a philosophy of change forces you to look forward. This can be a tremendous benefit; while not ignoring the past, you don’t dwell on it either. Continually looking for ways to do things better gives you an edge.

Open To New Ideas - Being comfortable in initiating change keeps you alive to new ideas and methods. There is no formula to predict tomorrow. The best you can do is to shoot semi-randomly, and you might get lucky.

Embrace Change Permanently

Change is a constant. It causes upheaval, stress, and mixed feelings for most people. For myself, it motivates. Imagine how liberating it is to be motivated by uncertainty and insecurity. These are the joys of being a change agent. You should try it out if you haven’t already.

I’ll close with a quote:

Without accepting the fact that everything changes, we cannot find perfect composure. But unfortunately, although it is true, it is difficult for us to accept it. Because we cannot accept the truth of transience, we suffer. ~ Shunryu Suzuki