Message from Your Chapter President - June 2022

thinker                                                      President's Message

Embrace Change

Have you ever been put in a situation where change was unavoidable? I am sure that you face these situations on a regular basis. I want to encourage you to embrace change. I invite you to live for and look forward to change by introducing you to the 4 R’s of change:

1. Face reality

2. Relinquish barriers

3. Rely on change

4. Reform to better ways

Before I go deeper into the 4 R’s, I want to tell you one of the most memorable lines from my all-time favorite movie, Shawshank Redemption. Red says, “you have a choice to get busy living or get busy dying.” I am going to use this quote to emphasize we need to embrace change to really live life to the fullest.

1. “Face reality” is the only way you will be able to make the best decisions while embracing and buying into change. If you are not facing reality, you are avoiding the situation. Have you ever received a half-hearted hug from someone - a loose arm around one shoulder with a pat on the back? Please compare that kind of loose hug to a big old bear hug. Which one is more satisfying? I’m sure you would rather have the good, hardy embrace of a bear hug. If you don’t face the reality of change with care and enthusiasm like a bear hug, you will not get the most out of things ahead of you.

2. “Relinquish barriers” means to avoid putting up our own barriers and stopping forward progress. Change is difficult enough without holding yourself back. Another way to consider this R is to overcome challenges. Embracing change means that we need to focus on the end goal of change and not allow that barrier to win. Another quote that is near and dear to my heart is: “in this life, we will have trials.” The author of that quote is telling us that we will inevitably face obstacles on our journey - we must prepare and expect them. As new barriers arise, look for pathways to overcome them. You need to vanquish the barriers on the road to change.

3. “Rely on change” implies that you should not only expect change, but rely on it and welcome it. How many of us have a favorite pair of jeans? You know the ones that fit just right and feel oh so comfortable when you slide them on. This is how you need to feel about change. You not only need to embrace change, but be comfortable in it just like those pair of jeans. I am sure that you may feel more comfortable to keep the status quo and remain where you are at, but I want you to look for change and rely on it in order to get busy living while embracing the change.

4. “Reform to better ways” requires you to challenge and consider, only for a moment, that there is a better way; a way that will take you from okay or good to great. Who amongst us feels that we are doing something wrong? You may feel that what you are doing on a daily basis right now is okay; that it is good.  Consider what change would that look like and what it will take to get there. I want to inspire you to reflect on your routine and look for an opportunity to upgrade your ways for the better. Small improvements are typically easy to make, but rewarding and worthwhile outcomes require effort and sometimes a departure from convention on how you do things. Do not shy away from change; reform to better ways.

In summary, I want to encourage you to get busy living rather than get busy dying by embracing change. You will feel better facing reality, relinquishing barriers, relying on change and reforming to better ways. My one hope is that you may be just a little more motivated to embrace change while living life to the fullest.

Thank you,

Reg Cracknell,
President