Are you someone who sees change as a good thing?
I think it depends on the experiences that you have had with change. If the change experiences that you had were good and brought you new opportunities, you would probably view them in a positive way. However, if the situations that you went through with change did not go well, then you might feel a lot of resistance and wish it wasn’t happening. What do you do when that resistance shows up? Does it hold you back from doing anything or could you see it as an opportunity to look at the situation with a new perspective?
When the company merger between Kraft and Heinz occurred back in 2015, It was a very stressful time and I had to make the decision to leave the company or stay. I knew it wouldn’t be easy and I would have to live with whatever choice that I made. After being at the company for so long, the unknown world that was outside the four walls of Kraft was scary compared to the company that knew so well. I had to ask some hard questions of myself. Would it be better to stay with what I knew and was comfortable with or leave and try something new? Anyone who has gone through a career transition can relate to this moment when you just know that everything will change.
Resistance
I remember sitting in the conference room with my peers and my manager at the time discussing what possible roles there would be in the newly combined company. I had not committed to staying or leaving up until that point. My manager mentioned a role that there would be for me and asked me to consider it. As he described the details of the position, I immediately felt a huge pain in my stomach. My body was sending me a sign to pay attention.
This is known as resistance. I think of it as a self-protection mechanism that tells me to dig deeper into what is happening to me. It occurs when I have a big career decision or a choice that I need to make in my personal life. This pain acted like a warning system and told me that I should leave the company so I could do something else. Although it was a scary thought after being at the company for so long, as soon as I made the decision to leave, I immediately felt better. The pain left and I knew that I would be okay. I trusted that it was the right decision for me.
Have you had something like this happen to you? It may happen when you try something new or attempt something that is out of your comfort zone. You may also experience it in a different way than I did. Not everyone feels it in their stomach. Some people feel it in their heads or in their chests. Think back to a big decision you have had to make. Did you experience a physical symptom in your head, chest, or stomach that was sending a signal to get your attention? What did you do when that happened? You have a choice to ignore it or dive deeper into what is going on.
Self-Trust
I have continued to see resistance show up in multiple situations for me and now I know that I need to explore why it is happening. It has given me a way to make decisions about what I should or shouldn’t do. My self-trust level has increased because I know now that it will let me know if I am heading down the wrong path. That gut feeling has only grown stronger for me over time and has helped me have more confidence that I am doing the right things.
Recently, I was going to launch something that would have been new and different for me. I kept struggling with pieces of it because they didn’t feel right. My head was telling me that what I wanted to do should work fine, but something wasn’t right. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but I felt that pain in my stomach again. I made the decision to pause what I was going to do. The pain went away and I immediately felt better.
Better Opportunities
The interesting outcome that happened as soon as I made that decision, was that a bunch of new opportunities came my way. None of these new things that came along were in any way expected, but I do believe that they are the best choices for me right now and will help me bring the message of visibility to a bigger group of people. There is a quote from John Maxwell, who is an author of multiple books and a well known speaker on leadership topics that says, “Learn to say no to the good, so you can yes to the best.”
Now it is your turn. Is there anything that you need to say no to that isn’t good enough for you? What if you could receive something better to put in its place? The next time that you feel any kind of resistance, slow down and explore what may be happening to you. Is the feeling that you have to try to tell you something that you may not have recognized on your own? Is it giving you guidance to lead you down another path? That path may offer you an even better opportunity, just like it did for me!