Reading between the lines Who took my cheese? Any company or person that aspires not only to survive, but to be competitive, must be constantly changing.
Whereas in the past loyal employees were wanted, today flexible people are needed, who are not possessive of the way they do things.
And, as everyone knows, living in a permanent cataract of change is often stressful.
When things change you don't want to change. You resist change because change is scary.
Each one tries to cope with the unexpected changes that are taking place in his life in recent years. And many admit that they haven't found a good way to do it. When a big change occurs, you don't know what to do. It continues to act as usual; so they will lose everything.
Today's environment is a maze where success can be found. But there are also dark corners and dead ends that lead nowhere.
It is a place where it is very easy to get lost. However, for those who find the way, the labyrinth holds secrets that allow them to enjoy a better life.
Many companies use the simple but ineffective trial and error method. They test a new theory and if it doesn't work they look for the next one (Total Quality, Reengineering, ISO). Some sniff the environment in order to figure out which way to go to find success, and they rush there. They get lost, make many useless laps and often bump into walls. A few use a different method that is based on the ability to think and learn from past experiences, although sometimes beliefs and emotions confuse them.
Over time, each following his own method, they find what they have been looking for: one day, they find what they wanted. But this becomes a habit, they run through the maze following the same route. When they arrive at their destination, they dedicate themselves to enjoying themselves.
With success, they change their habits, start their work later each day, act more slowly. Since they have already found what they wanted, they feel more and more at ease. They consider that they will have it for life. They feel happy and content, thinking that they are safe forever. They consider it theirs and build a social life around it.
Everything remains the same for some time. But then confidence turns to arrogance. They feel so secure that they don't even realize what is happening. They have not paid attention to the small changes that have been taking place. They assume that success will continue, and they are paralyzed by the changes. They are not prepared for it.
Finding what you want is finding a way to get what you think you need to be happy. Each one has, according to their tastes, their own idea of what success means. For some, it is owning material things. For others, enjoy good health or achieve inner peace.
For some it simply means feeling safe, having a great family and a comfortable home on the best street in the City one day. For others it means becoming a great executive with others in charge and having a beautiful mansion high in the hills of the best residential area.
In companies, when the environment changes, a lot of time is spent deciding what to do. At first, all they can think of is to thoroughly inspect everything to see what has happened. While the competition has already gotten underway, they continue to waver and waver. They have made many plans for the future based on past success, they go forward using the rear view mirror. "The more important your success is, the more you want to keep it."
They refuse to acknowledge that the Company's capacity has been gradually diminishing. They wonder what the competition does. While they continue to discuss what to do, that one has already started. In general, everyone feels safe, it is a comfortable and familiar place. In addition, looking for other options seems dangerous to them. They fear failure, and their hopes of finding new ways are dashed. They continue to do the same things they have done every day, taking with them their anxieties and frustrations. They try to deny what is happening.
Things change and they are never the same again. Life moves and we must too. "If you don't change, you become extinct." Thoughts full of fear paralyze and end up killing us. We must ask ourselves if we really want to succeed in life.
What would you do if you weren't afraid?
When you are afraid, it can prompt action. But when fear prevents you from doing something, it is not good. You need to regain sufficient self-confidence. Whenever you become discouraged, remember that what you are doing, no matter how uncomfortable it may be at the time, is much better than standing idly by. You must take charge of your life instead of just letting things happen.
We are often more afraid than we are willing to admit. You are not always sure what causes it, but you are left behind because of your fears. The only thing fear does is make things worse. Therefore, what must be done is to move forward. We have been prisoners of our own fear.
Moving in a new direction sets us free
It is important to have a drawing in mind in detail and great realism, of what the future will be like, to have a business vision. The clearer the image, the more real it becomes and you will feel like you can do it. That is the true power of a vision. The sooner you forget about past success, the sooner you find it again.
It is not just to feel happy, it is that fear does not dominate him and also because he likes what he is doing. The mere fact of knowing that you do not allow fear to paralyze you and that you have gone in a new direction will give you strength.
What is scary is never as bad as you imagine. If it is allowed to grow in the mind it is worse than the real situation. You are so afraid of not finding success that you do not even dare to seek it. Your way of thinking is affected by fears and worries. With both companies and individuals, you tend to think more about what can go wrong than what can go right.
You must see that it is natural for constant changes to occur, whether you expected them or not. Changes can only surprise if they are not expected, nor counted on. New beliefs stimulate new behaviors. By changing your beliefs, you change the way you act. It all depends on what you decide to believe. If she had accepted the change earlier and acted quickly, she would feel much better now. If you had foreseen the change, instead of wasting time denying that it had happened, you probably would have already found what you were looking for.
You have to free yourself from the past and adapt to the future. There are bigger mountains of opportunity than I have ever seen. Some are not recognized as they are brand new. As long as you are afraid of change, you will continue to cling to the illusion of success from a past that no longer exists.
It begins to change when you learn to laugh at yourself and how bad you are acting. The quickest way to change is to laugh at your own stupidity.
After doing so, you are free and you can move on. One can learn to live with change. You may be more aware of the need to keep things simple, be more flexible, and move faster. There is no use complicating things or confusing yourself with scary beliefs. By knowing when small changes start to occur, you will be more prepared for the big change than will sooner or later.
You need to adapt quickly, because if you don't, you may never be able to adapt.
Fear is something that must be respected, since it removes the true danger, but almost all fears are irrational and have separated you from change, when what you really needed was to change.
Everyone has to find their own way, dispensing with comforts and leaving fears behind. No one can do it for you, or convince you to do it. One way or another, you have to see the benefits of change for yourself. Like companies.
Change is a fact, the environment is constantly moving, therefore it is necessary to anticipate change, remain alert to its movements. It is important to control change, anticipate it. Then adapt quickly; the sooner past success is forgotten, the sooner it is enjoyed again. When the environment changes, you have to move, enjoy the change, savor the adventure, and enjoy Success.
Here is the animated summary of the book Who Has Taken My Cheese, 12 Minutes of Change Management Teaching
