If you change nothing... nothing changes

Last week I was sitting at my desk. It looked messy. I’ve had a busy few months with a lot of different projects. I’ve been overseas and interstate a lot.

I haven’t spent much time sitting at my desk recently. I looked closely at a lot of the files I had in front of me. Many of them were from old projects. Some of the projects were over 2 years old. I also had notes and bits of scrap paper from months ago, just lying on my desk like seals on a rock. For some strange reason, I had just left these old files, notes and workbooks on my desk. I asked myself; What on earth was I holding on to them for?

I realised it was time for a change. I’d been feeling it for a few months. A few things had been bubbling away beneath the surface. Like milk boiling slowly on a stove I could tell that I needed to address a few things before it boiled over.

I started throwing out the old files. It felt so liberating. Letting go of the past. Old programs, old workbooks, old notes. They had all had their time. I felt like a comedian letting go of their old content. It was a quick goodbye. Thanks for the memories.

I then turned and looked at the white board in my office. It’s right next to my desk. This is where I keep my main goals and ideas for the year on. It helps me keep my focus. I looked closely at the whiteboard and realised that it had become dated and tired as well. It was relevant 6 months ago, but irrelevant now.

In amongst the mess on my desk I found the whiteboard cleaner and gave my whiteboard a good spray and wipe. Oh, what a feeling. I surprised myself that I could receive so much please from cleaning.

I’ve realised this year in particular that you can’t change anything if you aren’t willing to detach or let go.

Change is never easy.

As you age it becomes harder. Our habits become more and more ingrained. As humans, we are creatures of habit. We rely a lot on regularity and routine to help us get through each day.

When I look back on this past year, I realise I haven't been paying enough attention to keeping myself fresh. I had been operating on auto pilot too much of the time. I know that in my line of work I need to have the correct energy, focus and enthusiasm for my sessions to be successful. 

"If you change nothing, nothing changes". What a great saying.

Every leader knows that change is not an effortless process. People move through it at different speeds. We can tend to hold on to the way we’ve always done things. That’s natural. Unfortunately, that is normally a recipe for long term disaster.

Just ask the Taxi industry, Blackberry or Kodak about not being nimble and being ready to change before you need to.

I’ll be on leave for a few weeks in September. I’m heading overseas for a conference in Thailand and then to see some family and friends in the UK. I’ll be using this break to freshen myself up for the last quarter of 2017 and for getting myself ready for a great 2018.

I’m already excited about returning to a fresh-looking NRG when I get back in early October. I’ll be refreshed and ready to tackle new projects.

By getting rid of so much clutter, on my desk and in my head I’ve been able to clear my mind and remind myself to focus on my priorities in life. Without that clarity there was a danger that I would just keep plodding on and on. That has never been my cup of tea.

The world marches on. Business continues to move at a rapid speed. I’ve had to remind myself of the importance of accepting change, detaching from the past and being nimble and ready to embrace new opportunities. 

See you in October.

Posted in Leadership; Tagged Leadership, Habits, Goals; Posted 30 August 2017 by Steve Herzberg