Friends, family and business colleagues, too, are going through changes that are large, ultimately, whichever way they go.
Sometimes the changes ahead are too big to grasp, in total. Starting small is often the way to go.
If, as in planting a crop, taking on the whole, huge field of change is immobilizing, just put the first stake in the ground. The second stake? It will be easier, once the choices have been narrowed. The third stake, the third decision will be even easier. Soon, the process will have a rhythm of its own.
Here are a few examples of the changes underway for family and colleagues:
- Our recent college graduate daughter is trying to figure out which way she wants to journey, now that her fresh diploma gives her the green light. She’s at that, “You can go anywhere, do anything! Enjoy it!” time of life.
Except…that complete freedom? You’re not really warned ahead of time that complete freedom CAN be a bit unnerving. A few well-placed constraints and strong, positive supports are a good thing. To use a different analogy, it’s like having the edge of the pool to hang onto now and then while you’re learning to swim in the deep end, still building up the confidence in yourself to fully venture out when you no longer have the comfort of the bottom of the pool to rely on.
- Friends’ children are deciding which colleges to attend. Some made their decision easily. Others are not, or have not, yet. College selection is a big decision, but it not one that shuts out as many future options as you think it will, at that point. We have one more round with this experience in a few years, when it is our son’s turn to make this decision.
- A few other people are making health-related decisions. For some, it may take a bit of a scare, a wake up call to decide a better direction to go, for their long-term health. Small choices? With health, as with many other things, they can oh so quietly add up to some fairly significant results, whichever way those small, daily choices go.
Here are a few resources you might want to check if these stories remind you of changes ahead for you or someone you know:
Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness
