Change Smells Good…

I was sitting in my HR conference yesterday and learning about change and transition. It was a very timely topic for me personally and professionally. Professionally, our organization is on the verge of an affiliation. Personally, we are selling our house and my wife is retiring, while I’m giving serious consideration to follow shortly thereafter.

The first stage in any change or transition is the ending. I immediately went to the word termination. I probably did that because I’ve had on my brain my latest work in progress called, The Termination. It starts out really creepy and disturbing with an HR Director going to a pre-termination proceeding where termination is literal. Yep they kill the employees that they plan to fire. You can all shiver because it is really creepy.

I suppose that’s what makes change so painful. Something has to end and if you’ve been having fun you don’t want that finale. However, if you’re not experiencing joy anymore then perhaps change is good, but still endings are always bittersweet because even though it might not be entertaining, there is always a portion of what you’ve been doing that is comfortable and enjoyable.

I do believe I add value to the workplace in my current position (for the most part) and can honestly say I have a blast at work (most of the time), but I’m also having fun writing. So there is the conundrum. If I want more time to write, I probably need to retire, but that means an end to the kind of work I’ve done for the last thirty years so I can begin a new journey. Interestingly, in the change model after the ending there is the neutral zone and then hallelujah, the new beginning. The neutral zone is filled with chaos and confusion, but can also be a time of enhanced creativity. I’m hoping to capitalize on that inspirational stage.

My warped brain started thinking about all kinds of stuff related to change. For example, hopefully everyone changes their underwear and socks every day (if you wear underwear and socks-I admit to going commando on occasion). What if we didn’t change our underwear or socks, well it would get pretty stinky, wouldn’t it. Side note here are five things that can happen if you don’t change your underwear every day (I swear I’m not making this up because I googled this).

Your skin will get itchy
You could develop sores or rashes
Your vagina will start to smell different
You could get a yeast infection
You might contract a urinary tract infection (UTI)

I decided that I would use that analogy the next time I do a presentation on change. Change helps us avoid the stink. What do you think? Can people relate to that? Or is that just plain gross? I think I should leave out the five things that could happen.

‘Son, your marks stink. You’re becoming a real indie-achiever. I’m proud of you!’

That got me to thinking about that famous video about change called, Who Moved My Cheese. Of course when someone moves your cheese and you don’t go looking for the new location, there’s that stink potential again.

In conclusion, if I resist the changes in life, I’m gonna stink and I don’t want my vagina to smell different. I want to maintain a pleasant aroma! So change is something to embrace versus shy away from!

So where do all you wonderful readers play into this? Well….of course you can aid me in my transition by purchasing my books! That would make the dramatic loss of my day job income a lot more palatable (especially to my wife who insists I need to continue to do interim work).

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