Change doesn’t have to be hard

Small business owners constantly deal with change and over the course of time realize it’s the normal way of doing business as a entrepreneur. Most entrepreneurs became entrepreneurs either from drastic change in their life that occurred, such as a loss of job, or from a need for more flexible hours, or perhaps they discovered a need in the market and went after it. These are all good reasons for change.

The thing with change is this: it does not have to be complex, it does not have to impact the world and it does not have to be difficult or painful. Change can be as simple as moving from writing things down in a daily planner to typing it into your calendar and tasks in electronic form.

Change is as much about knowing what to ask as it is how to go through it. What is simple to one person is difficult for another – this happens for one very simple reason: lack of knowledge. I say lack of knowledge but not in a bad way, in way that you had no idea such a thing existed in the first place or how simple it truly is. This is compounded by the fear of what might happen if you try something you are unfamiliar or uncomfortable with.

I had a discussion the other day with a business friend who runs a successful small business. We talked about reading. He hit the nail on the head when I told him I only read business related articles and books. His response was that in order to truly get perspective he reads novels – fiction or otherwise, they challenge people to think of the unthinkable, look at things in ways they may never have thought before and even evoke controversy with your beliefs.

This kind of analogy challenges me to rethink my reading habits. This means changing the way I look at business by changing they way I look at reading. It also tells me doing what I do best isn’t good enough, I need to be better. I need to tell people what I think and why I think that way so I can help them make better decisions through change.

This means coming out of my hiding place for the last couple of years and being that social person I used to be – even though Myers-Briggs tells me I’m highly introverted – that has to change in order for me to be successful at coaching you through this. I do this by making things seem very simple. By taking small steps at a time not one large leap. This is why I love my 4 for 4 program (read more about 4for4 here if you so desire). It fits my personality – focused, to the point and results oriented.