Dealing With Change: What can we learn from Buzz Lightyear?

I love kids movies that actually make it fun for adults to watch. A classic (and one of my favorites) is Toy Story. The best scene is when Buzz and Woody are lost at the gas station. Buzz tries to put things in perspective for Woody by saying, This is no time to panic. However, Woodys frenzied reply was, This is the PERFECT time to panic! I guess its because I can relate so well to his reaction.

How do you deal with change? What do you do when youre thrust into an undesirable and completely unexpected situation?

Do you, like Woody, tend to blame others or want to curl up in a fetal position, hoping the situation will fix itself? Or do you, like Buzz, try to remain positive and hopeful, searching for solutions, being resourceful and finding help from every available source?

You see, change in life and in business is inevitable. How you deal with change can greatly impact the time it takes to adjust, improve, endure or remedy the situation.

As I observed the differences between Buzz and Woodys attitudes and reactions to the same situation, it made me think about how to successfully deal with change:

- Remain positive. While easier said than done, attitude and perception really are everything. Think about what you can take away from the experience: have you learned something about yourself or someone else, have you discovered who your real friends are, could your loss mean someone worthy gained something? In any situation, you can usually find something positive to dwell on, and that will help you get through.

- Become resourceful. This is a perfect time to try something new, take a risk or look to places or people you normally wouldnt look to. Ask around, do research, test-try a new method. Leave no rock unturned and no corner uncovered in search of a solution. Youll usually find that the best ideas and solutions are found from the edge or at the fringes because most people wont take the time, wont make the effort or are too fearful to venture out.

- Ask for and accept help. Change can cause feelings of humiliation and fear. That doesnt mean you shouldnt reach out for assistance. The situation always looks worse when youre right in the middle of it. To others, however, its just another day. Have you ever been in a position to help someone in need? Didnt it make you feel good? So, why deny someone else the opportunity to feel that good by allowing them to assist you in any way possible?

Are you dealing with change right now? Try one or all of these things and your situation may not seem so bad after all or you may discover that you can actually make it through on the other side, somewhat unscathed. Maybe in retrospect, youll find that this change worked out for the best. After all, Buzz and Woody pulled through together, got home safely and ended up being best friends. May this be the case for you!

Copyright. Cristina Favreau. All rights reserved.

Cristina Favreau helps service professionals simplify their marketing & self-promotion so they gain visibility & credibility, and get more clients. Using the Get Clients NOW!(TM) program, she makes marketing & self-promotion easy to understand and to implement, starting at your level. Within 3 hours she'll help you identify where youre stuck in the marketing process and come up with an action plan of immediate strategies to gain momentum.

Visit Cristina's website http://www.cristinafavreau.com/ and check out her blog, The Savvy Entrepreneur, at http://blog.cristinafavreau.com for more marketing tips.

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