Change... is it as 'good as a holiday'??

I've always considered myself to be relatively OK with change... there have been plenty that I've embraced and even relished... I've even been known to get excited about change.  Honestly, sometimes I've been known to go looking for it voluntarily!

"Continuity gives us roots; change gives us branches, letting us stretch and grow and reach new heights." ~ Pauline R. Kezer

But the new Facebook format that has just been introduced has been a rude shock to my system!  Suddenly I'm resisting change.  I'm not liking it.  I'm angry and frustrated and annoyed and I'm feeling slightly overwhelmed by the implications of the changes.  I'm struggling and I know I'm not alone!

I've heard cries of "well if you don't like it you don't have to use it", and I do understand that ultimately it's a business... a BIG business, and the changes (with more to come!!) are more to do with making money and staying ahead of the competition, rather than listening to the people who are actually using the media.

So why do we sometimes struggle with change? What makes some changes harder to accept than others? When change is imposed with little or no consultation people rebel and object loudly.  The Facebook changes are a great example of that! Why do we rebel? Is it that we can't control our "cyber environment"... we suddenly "lose" control of something that is familiar and safe? It's about FEAR. Fear of not coping, fear of losing control, fear that we'll be overwhelmed and "lose the plot", fear that we'll lose business perhaps. Fear of something new and different.  Fear that our opinions don't matter.

Unless we are part of the team who makes all these changes, or our name is Mark Zuckerberg, we are not going to be asked what we think... we're not going to be participating in the process of change... we are only going to be dangling at the end of the change feeling pissed off, "cheated" and angry that some anonymous person has taken away something that we loved and felt good about.  And of course logically we know that FB can't consult with millions of users and come to some happy little consensus that will please everybody!

So what are we going to do about it?  Well... if you are like me, you'll bounce back, get used to it, adapt and get on with life.  Some people may just decide that they can't be bothered, and leave the forum completely.  It's all about what value we perceive in adapting to the changes.  Once we've had our dummy spits and worked out that we don't have a huge amount of power or say in the matter, we'll realise that we can only change ourselves and our reactions to the changes imposed.

"When we are no longer able to change a situation we are challenged to change ourselves." ~ Victor Frankl

So in order to find some PEACE amongst the changes,

• I'm remembering to BREATHE.
• I'm remembering to feel GRATEFUL for a free Social Media tool that has allowed me to make fabulous connections locally and globally.
• I'm talking to friends, sharing ideas and working out ways to make the changes work for me, rather than against me!
• I'm remembering that I'm a small part of a huge whole and that's OK.
• I'm looking for the humour in the situation!
• I'm LETTING GO of the fear and overwhelm.
• I'm embracing the NEW!

"If you don't like something change it; if you can't change it, change the way you think about it." ~ Mary Engelbreit