Change

“By changing nothing, nothing changes.” ~ Tony Robbins

Passover has ended and I am in the process of changing my kitchen.  We keep a kosher home and each year I go through the process of changing all of our dishes to our Passover set.  It is a lot of work, but I look forward to the holiday, the changes made in our kitchen and the different foods we get to eat.  Eight days, then it is over, which means that I am changing the kitchen back to the way it was before the holiday.  Change is good, it can break up our repetitive routines, provide a fresh perspective and in the business world, streamline processes and allow for improved productivity. 

Working as a project manager, there are two things that I believe my job entails – provide solutions and be an agent of change.  Some changes are happily accepted, others are not.  In 1995, when I first became a consultant, they told me up front that good consultants develop a thick skin, as most of the people that we deal with do not want the changes we bring.  The truth of the matter is that all of us become “comfortable” with repeated use of products and processes; we develop an aversion to change.  I have seen this as an employee, as a consultant, counselor in camp, vice president of shul, in the school system, in our government, and even at home. 

Sometimes change comes in response to something outside of ourselves.  Look at our dog, Lucy Lou.  According to Bec, “She is perfect.”  When the weather is cooler out, we let her hair grow out so that it provides some protection (I am not a big believer in doggie wear like my family).  Now that the weather has changed, it is time for Lucy Lou to change her `do and go with a shorter haircut (she likes being stylish, so Bec tells me).  Sometimes the change occurs on the inside and manifests itself on the outside, like the picture of me.  Our lives are full of changes, from sharing your life with a spouse, to having children, to watching them prepare to have a life of their own.  When Bob Dylan sang, “The Times They Are-a Changing,” I am pretty sure that he meant it as an ongoing condition.

“To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.” ~ Winston Churchill