Change.

It creates a variety of thoughts and feelings in everyone’s head the moment you hear or think about the concept. Today’s quotation is longer than most I feature here, but since change is a big topic, more words are worthwhile. Specifically, today’s idea encourages us to take action on the change that is going to happen anyway. It’s time to get proactive!

John Dewey on changeQuestions to Ponder

– What are my common thought and feelings about change?

– What change am I facing today?

– How can I learn more about the nature and substance of that change?

– How can I direct the change around me for my benefit? (Tweet that).

Action Steps

1. Be proactive about change today.

2. Take action on your answers to the questions above (it’s not an academic exercise – it is your life and your results!)

My Thoughts

Dewey makes at least three critically important points here.

  • Like it or not, change is going to happen.
  • The more we actively learn about the change, the better.
  • Once we understand it, we can use it to our benefit.

It might be interesting for you to note that while I don’t know when Dewey wrote these words, he died in 1952 – so his experience with change being everywhere isn’t new. Maybe we are facing more change than ever, but change has always been a constant – so accept that fact and move on.

Secondly, Dewey’s point to (really) understand change can be transformative. The more we know, the more powerful we are, and the more able we will be to make the adjustments (mental or otherwise) to make the change our friend, not our foe.

The challenge we all face is to use change to our advantage. When we take the first two steps that Dewey suggests, we are in a much better place to do exactly that.

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Kevin Eikenberry is a recognized world expert on leadership development and learning and is the Chief Potential Officer of The Kevin Eikenberry Group. He has spent over 30 years helping organizations across North America, and leaders from around the world, on leadership, learning, teams and teamwork, communication and more.

Twice he has been named by Inc.com as one of the Top 100 Leadership and Management Experts in the World and 100 Great Leadership Speakers for Your Next Conference. The American Management Association named him a “Leaders to Watch” and he has been twice named as one of the World's Top 30 Leadership Professionals by Global Gurus. Top Sales World has named him a Top Sales & Marketing Influencer several times, and his blog has been named on many “best of” lists. LeadersHum has named him one of the 200 Biggest Voices in Leadership in 2023.

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