Change is an interesting concept.
Some people LOVE change! It’s super easy for them to make changes in their lives. Often, they implement lots of change all at once without missing a beat.
Others of us, look at these folks and wonder, “What’s wrong with me?” because change is often difficult. To make any change, most of the time you must take tiny baby steps over and over again.
How do you approach change?
You may have a particular pattern when it comes to making changes. You may also approach change differently in different situations.
When it comes to change, I don’t believe there’s a one size fits all solution.
For example, many years ago, when I decided I wanted to volunteer at the Animal Rescue League of Boston’s Brewster Branch, I filled out an application and that was that! To the surprise of my husband, I didn’t gather lots of information or ponder this decision for eons. I just jumped in and said, “Yes! I want to be one of your cat volunteers!”
This is quite opposite of my usual approach to change, which is best illustrated by the example of my career change from Corporate IT professional to Coach. I’m not proud to admit this, but it took me years (yes, years!) to finally make this change. I thought about this change endlessly. I looked at the pros and cons. I did research. I talked to people. I 
read books about making this type of change. I considered different ways I could become a coach and still stay in corporate. Over the years, I turned over every rock and emotion. I took small steps and some larger steps along the way that finally led me to successfully make one of the biggest changes in my life.
Regardless of your change style, here are some questions that can support you as you make a change. As you go through the following questions, apply them to a particular change you’d like to make to reap the benefits.
- Why do you want to make the change?
- What will you have to let go of to make this change?
- What will you gain personally, and in any other ways that matter to you (e.g., a gain for your family, a win for your community)?
- What are the risks associated with making this change?
- What are the benefits of making this change?
- What will you miss out on if you don’t make this change?
- What is possible if you make this change?
- Are you ready to make this change right now?
Just like with your approach to change, you may zip through these questions and feel 
empowered by what you discover. Or you may want to take your time with each question. For example, you may want to journal about each question, or you may choose to spend time in nature pondering each of your responses. The method you choose will be unique to you.
Change is exciting. Change is scary. As a coach, I have found the clients who have a healthy dose of excitement and who are a bit scared when contemplating/preparing for a change are on the right path!
Remember…
