5 Ways to Avoid Change in 2009

The financial climate, the job market, family tensions, Obama moving into the Lincoln bedroom.  Even the climate’s getting in on it.  Yup, change is everywhere in 2009.

Apparently some people are ‘embracing change’, but aren’t aware of the dangers inherent in changing the ways things are.  If you’re not careful, all kinds of strange things might happen in your otherwise ordered life, so it’s best to work at avoiding change whenever it rears its head.

Here are 5 ways to do just that:

1. Ignore any opportunities.

How many times have you taken a chance, only for things to go wrong? How many times have you seized an opportunity only for it to slip between your fingers?

There’s always another screw-up waiting for you, so it’s better to stay right where you are. Where you are right now is a known quantity – it’s safe, warm and comfortable. Doesn’t that sound better than going out there, screwing up and looking stupid?

2.  Set your expectations low.

If you’re one of the people out there looking to make a change in 2009 rather than having change made for you, you’d better set your expectations low.

Set your expectations high and you’re only setting yourself up for disappointment. When you have high expectations of yourself and what you can do you’re in line for the biggest of reality checks.

Things rarely turn out as you want them to, so set your expectations low so that you don’t end up more disappointed than necessary.

3. Keep on running and don’t look back.

Life’s busier than ever, right?  You’ve got loads going on at work, loads happening with friends and family and all kinds of demands on your time.

The best thing to do is to set things out so that you can do everything.  It’s good to be busy and running around after everyone else will mean that everyone’s happy and there’s no room for change to happen.  It’s a win-win!

4. Recognise that most changes are too big.

Face it; there are some tasks you’re just not up to. Landing that exciting new job, getting a promotion, taking on the ‘big project’ or building a relationship that really works – these are all big challenges and you don’t want to bite off more than you can chew.

Some things are just bigger than you are, so if you insist on changing something it’s better to take on small, low-impact or no-impact stuff that you know you can do.

5. Ignore that little voice inside

You might sometimes hear a little voice in your head that tells you you’re not happy or that something has to change.  This little trouble maker can speak up at any time and throw the Spanner of Confusion in the works, and it has only one thing on it’s mind – to take you out of your comfort zone and make you change.

Imagine if everyone went around listening to what they really wanted and acted on it – chaos.

No, best to ignore it and carry on doing what you’re doing.