Carolyne Rashford's Blog

“The secret of change is to focus all your energy, not on fighting the old but on building the new.” Socrates

We have all heard the saying that change is the only constant in life. As annoying as the saying is I think we can all agree that it is the truth. The reality is, we are in control of how we manage the change(s) that we face in both our personal and professional lives.

This past weekend brought a significant paradigm shift in our household as our first born left for university. Logically, I have known that this day was eventually going to get here but as the day approached I found myself tangled up in excitement, trepidation and a host of other emotions all at the same time. I felt excited for our daughter that she had achieved her goal and was starting a new chapter in her life, worried about her living away from home, praying that she makes good decisions and understanding that just as I did at her age she will make some mistakes. My hope for her is that her university experience is everything that she is hoping for.

It has been interesting watching her and her siblings these last few weeks. Our daughter has been so excited to go to university that I didn’t think she had any fears about moving away. One day last week she came and lay beside me in our bed and told me she was a little nervous about going away. We had a great conversation acknowledging that there was nothing wrong with being afraid. I told her that the best way to combat her anxiety was to learn as much as she could about where her classes were, how to get to them, and to utilize all the resources that were available to her. Our other children have also shown signs that the change is affecting them. My son commented on how much he will miss his oldest sister and our middle daughter spoke of the lack of late night talks with her sister. As for myself, the first real noticeable change was driving back home after dropping her off. The ride was so quiet that we all commented on it. These next few weeks will take some getting used to, but we will adjust, and I know we will all eventually get comfortable in our routines again.

Change in our professional lives can happen more often and more abruptly than in our personal lives, which can cause us frustration. Our best approach to handling adjustments in our work environment is to ensure, like my daughter, that we learn as much about the change as we can and utilize all the resources available to us. Knowledge is a key tool in helping us navigate through the new environment in which we find ourselves.