Four steps to prepare you for life’s changes
I am coming to you from beautiful Stowe, Vermont today. I’ve spent the last couple of days here with some early career talent, ending their two year journey, which has been absolutely fantastic to be a part of!
It’s been so rewarding to watch their journey through different changes, in role, in management, in different parts of the business, some even changed to different parts of the world.
Meanwhile, this part of the world is truly spectacular!
Fun fact: The Von Trapp family (tell me you’ve seen The Sound of Music…) settled here after they escaped Austria in World War 2. Yes, I did visit their ‘lodge’ and yes, I did sing “The hills are alive”…albeit in the carpark of the lodge but it had to be done!
Growing up in Australia, I am always stunned by a beautiful mountain environment, and it would be amazing here in the ski season, which I am sure is when it is at it’s absolute best!
What they’ve done here is something that we are not all good at doing in our personal or professional life and that is to adapt.
Because obviously there are other seasons, apart from winter, when this resort needs to make money. So they have made it very alluring in terms of lovely restaurants, hiking adventures, rock climbing, a gondola, a zip line, and if all else fails there’s the Ben and Jerry’s factory for a visit (or two if you’re an ice cream fiend like me! I had to resist buying a Vermonster! See pic, could you eat that?!)
How many of us actually prepare in such a way for adapting to the different ‘seasons’ when we’re ‘out of season’ and not necessarily at our ‘best’?! For example:
- When our manager leaves, or
- We get promoted, or
- We get moved in to a different department, division or role
In my own career, I could have been sooo much better prepared for those moments.
What steps can you take to prepare for the inevitable change in seasons? In today’s video I want to give you four steps to prepare you for life’s changes.
Change is inevitable. And as Darwin said; it’s not the strongest, it’s not the most intelligent, it’s the ones that can adapt that will survive.
Here are four steps to empower you to be better prepared for those inevitable changes in your personal or professional life.
Step 1 – Imagine: Play a game of “what if”. Imagine, if your manager left. Imagine, if you got that role. Imagine, if you moved industries. Imagine, imagine.
Step 2 – Recognise: Now write down, how you would adapt. What skills do you have to adapt to that situation and if you are not sure, as always, ask other for feedback or do some skills assessments.
Step 3 – Prepare: Knowing that, what one action can you take now that would prepare you for that event?
Step 4 – Market: Think about how you can market yourself so that people know that you are prepared e.g. available in the summertime!
Because they didn’t wait until it was summer here in Stowe to say, hey, come along for some hiking or some rock climbing. They looked at what was possible, they imagined that scenario here, and they prepared for it, then marketed it accordingly.
Think of yourself as a marketing manager! How can you go out and start talking about what is available and make sure you are the person that gets to the top of the peak in whatever the conditions are. Whether it’s ski season or hiking season or ice cream tasting season (which is a year round activity of course!) how will you put yourself in the best position possible?!
Finally, if no one else tells you today, let me be the one to tell you I’m grateful for you. I know that you can adapt to different seasons! Thank you for letting me be a part of your day and thank you for being a part of my world – here in Vermont!
With gratitude,
