THE HUMPTY DUMPTY SYNDROME:

How many times have you heard someone say, “Losing my job was the best thing that ever happened to me”? Does hearing this sentiment make you scratch your head in puzzlement? How could something so negative be so positive? What’s the person’s secret? Few of us begin our careers with the intent of doing something else. After all, we’ve invested quite a bit of time and money getting to where we are. We spend thousands of dollars and several years of our lives in pursuit of our degrees. We then invest even more time going after postgraduate degrees. An attorney, for example, spends a total of nineteen years in the pursuit of a law degree and then has to pass an extremely difficult exam, one which many fail on their first attempt. Doctors spend even more time in school and then devote even more years to internship and residency programs. Sadly, many of these dedicated professionals then find out they are not happy in their chosen work. Much like Humpty Dumpty, we proudly sit atop our wall of achievements and accomplishments, giving little thought to doing anything else. “After all, I worked hard to get where I am and I’m proud of it. I’m good at what I do and people respect me. You can’t expect me to want to give all this up, can you?” These are the words you hear from your logical, rational mind (or friends and family) whenever you even think about making a career change. Unfortunately, your true self, that part of you who knows what’s in your best interest, is often scream i n g for a change, nagging away at your thoughts until you begin to listen. Even if you’re content in your present job, with today’s changing workplace and the uncertainty in the corporate world, it’s likely that sooner or later in your working life, you will find yourself, much like our friend Humpty, tumbling from the security of your little perch. For most of us the great fall occurs when one or more of the following occurs: • Our job is eliminated through downsizing. • Our company is acquired or merges with another company and the new situation no longer appeals to us. • Our job stays the same but we just can’t get excited about it anymore. So, after the great fall what are the secrets to putting yourself back together again — better and happier than ever?

YOU MUST LET GO OF THE PAST

“Progress Is A Nice Word. But Change Is Its Motivator. And Change Has Its Enemies.”

“Progress is a nice word. But change is its motivator. And change has its enemies.” ROBERT KENNEDY its very definition, change begins with an ending. Acknowledge the loss and your feelings associated with it. Realize that it is perfectly normal to feel sadness and some confusion. Seek support from friends, family members, a therapist or a personal coach. Work through these feelings. Don’t deny or ignore them. CHANGE For centuries, people believed that Aristotle was right when he said that the heavier an object, the faster it would fall to earth. Aristotle was regarded as the greatest thinker of all time and surely he could not be wrong. All it would have taken was for one brave person to take two objects, one heavy and one light, and drop them from a great height to see whether or not the heavier object landed first. But no one stepped forward until nearly 2,000 years after Aristotle’s death. In 1589, Galileo summoned learned professors to the base of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Then he went to the top and pushed off a ten pound and a one-pound weight. Both landed at the same time. But the power of belief in the conventional wisdom was so strong that the professors denied what they had seen. They continued to say Aristotle was right, reinforcing the observation made by Niccolo Machiavelli in his book The Prince. He wrote that, “There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things.” Change is inevitable. Everything in the Universe is constantly changing, right down to the very cells in your body. Change is going to happen, with or without your permission. You might as well learn to accept change, since it’s happening anyway. As a matter of fact, if you can learn to welcome change and develop a belief that “change is good,” you will be much happier and better able to handle whatever life sends your way.

By Engr. Ephraim E.