So allow me to share at the immediate onset of this post that one really should avoid tackling a tough topic in a singular, mere thousand word post, assuming a subject to be so simple. It errs a wee bit on the side of ridiculous. Allow me to also aver that one should avoid a discussion about only a half-read book. Both, no less, are what we attempt at our pernicious peril this day\u2026 <\/p>\n\n\n\n
On my current nightstand sits Switch,<\/em> the New York Times bestseller with the subtitle, \u201cHow to Change Things When Change Is Hard\u201d \u2014 a book with a marker, yes, that sits halfway through.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The reality for each of us is we are a part of some things we don\u2019t like \u2014 circumstances and scenarios we wish were somehow different, we wish would change. For example\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Want any of the above to be different?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Want to make changes in your own life?<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2026 individual, organizational, or societal change?<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2026 changes in the areas you influence or lead?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Perhaps the naivet\u00e9 from a half-read perspective provides a bit of a backdrop for too much positivity. But with the drain and strain of all of the above and more, I\u2019d venture to say that positivity is a welcomed approach!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Switch<\/em> authors Chip and Dan Heath empower the reader to make more changes by instilling a practical confidence that is contrary to current culture. They simplify the process. They start with the notion that change can actually be made. <\/em>To be clear, the brothers Heath do not promise that they can make change easy; their goal is to help the reader see we can make it easier.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Often, however, we stop before we start. We camp out on our sides and stances in all of the above, and we never even attempt to make authentic, healthy change. We make it way too hard\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPeople don\u2019t change\u2026 they\u2019ll always be like that\u2026 touch\u00e9\u2026 it is what it is\u2026 it\u2019s impossible\u2026 it\u2019s not worth the effort\u2026 it\u2019s not worth the time\u2026 it will take too long\u2026 it\u2019s the way I am\u2026 they\u2019re so stubborn\u2026 I\u2019m too stubborn\u2026\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n We allow perceived resistance \u2014 either in society or self \u2014 to extinguish any initial effort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But what if \u2014 as the Heaths claim \u2014 what looks like resistance is instead a lack of clarity? What if we\u2019re not seeing things accurately?<\/p>\n\n\n\n The basis for Switch<\/em> is to provide a framework for making change simpler. Imagine what would change \u2014 how our confidence and efforts would alter \u2014 if some of these major life challenges weren\u2019t seen from the onset as just so stinkin\u2019 hard?<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Heath brothers discuss the two independent systems of our brain that are at work at all times \u2014 the emotional and the rational side. And to make change, we have to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Key point, friends: \u201cwhat looks like a people problem is often a situation problem,\u201d say the brothers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When we see a problem as a people problem, we tend to blame others, acquit self, and be increasingly more generous with our insult and offense. Fascinatingly, we then actually never solve the problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So what if we simply changed our perspective this day, from looking at all things as a \u201cpeople problem\u201d? \u2026 what if we quit looking at a conflict as a problem with \u201cthem\u201d?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I know. I hear you. I am being way too simple. I need another few thousand words. But wouldn\u2019t it be refreshing if all the leaders and influencers in the above situations gathered in a room, identified what was most important, honored the rationale and emotion in each person, and actually solved the situation? Could we be a more perfect union?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Friends, take solely the current ugly, political, national state. It\u2019s not going to get better if we ignore or invalidate the rationale and emotion in another side; there\u2019s a reason each of us thinks and feels the way we do. We need to thus change the way we respond, change the way we evaluate, change the way we solve. As the Heaths say, \u201cFor anything to change, someone has to start acting differently.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n So could we try acting differently?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Could we try something more positive?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Could we focus on the situation and not the people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n (Me? Well, I\u2019ll start by reading the rest of the book\u2026)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Respectfully\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n AR<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" So allow me to share at the immediate onset of this post that one really should avoid tackling a tough topic in a singular, mere thousand word post, assuming a subject to be so simple. It errs a wee bit on the side of ridiculous. Allow me to also aver that one should avoid a … <\/p>\n