Okay, it's a new year. Yawn. Time to spend ten minutes thinking about changes I should make in 2015 before I go back into my stupor. When you reach my age you don't change much anymore right? Wrong!
A study by Daniel Gilbert, a Harvard psychologist, indicates that over time we change significantly more than we think we are going to. Most people think they are going to change very little over time. But change they do.
Here's a Grumpy analysis of change, presented with no research and a total lack of professional credentials:
- Unanticipated/unplanned changes.
- Changes we consciously and proactively seek.
- Change we're unaware of.
- Change we are aware of.
Then of course there are unanticipated changes that we're aware of and anticipated changes we're unaware of, and so on and so forth until your brain fries. But I digress.
Okay, bottom line, you are going to change more than you think you will in the coming years. You might as well try to make the changes you want as opposed to being buffeted around like a leaky rowboat in a hurricane. I found this chart to help us along in this adventure. It's a map for change.
I'll lay out my map to get you started. You will have your own change objectives, of course.
- Set Your Head Right
Hmmm, how depressing. I don't think I can get by step one. Researchers say that people exposed to the rapid changes of modern life may develop a state of helplessness and inadequacy. Okay, they've accurately pinned down my starting point helpless and inadequate.- Set the right goals Here's mine:
Ignore corny, oversimplified formulas (like this one) for dealing with change.
Adjust to the reality that I play stinky golf and learn to live with it.
Forget about trying to make a positive contribution to mankind because no good deed goes unpunished and you'll be reviled for your efforts.
Learn more about wine so I can graduate from "drunk" to "connoisseur." People tend to overlook the fact that your head has fallen onto your dinner plate and you’re drowning in gravy if you've quoted the vintage and vineyard that got you there.- Set the right activities
How am I going to accomplish the lofty goals I've laid out? It won't be that difficult.
Never consult an "expert," all they want is expensive follow-up visits. Don't think about any household problems until you notice your wife packing her suitcases. Avoid reading.
Stay away from the driving range. Take golf lessons – they're guaranteed to squelch any possibility of improvement. Listen to the advice of your friends on how to improve your swing that too will reinforce mediocrity. And it makes them feel superior, which takes care of the charitable obligations in item C.
Avoid reading. Tear up solicitations for charitable contributions without opening them. Hang up on solicitors. Drive by homeless men begging at entrance ramps. Avoid reading.
Okay, to become a wine expert, it's hard to avoid reading. Read the labels. Memorize the jargon "acidity, balance, bouquet, complexity, finish, body," blah blah blah. When you become sufficiently boring, you've established your credentials as an expert.
Hopefully, these courageous and lofty goals will inspire you to take control and lay out your own plan to manage change for 2015. It'll guarantee you a Happy New Year!