Maybe it’s because it’s the first of the year. Maybe it’s because it seems more busy than normal. But I found myself in a meeting today with a very old phrase that came back to me.
And that is: “The only thing constant is change.”
Change is everywhere you go. I’m watching my kids change right before my very eyes. My 11-year-old now wears makeup, talks about Taylor Swift, and spends hours a day with skincare products.
My nine-year-old, all she cares about is dancing (she also loves Taylor Swift). I think she likes boys or has a crush on boys and is growing up right before my very eyes.
My eight-year-old son is so ready to shoot a deer this year that he can’t even stand it. Watching him from a few years ago, when he barely even understood what going hunting was to where he has come now, it’s just been transformational.
And my five-year-old son now has a dirt bike. Even though it has training wheels, it is still a dirt bike, but he is learning to ride.
These are just some personal examples of change. But I see change everywhere in business. People who love you one minute might not love you the next. People who you’ve never met before put you on a pedestal and entrust you to take them forward.
It’s funny how things change in such a short amount of time. If change is the only constant, I wonder why so many people have such a hard time adapting to change. I guess it’s the luck of what I do and the ability I’ve had.
I’m used to change. I know stuff’s going to change every day. But with change comes responsibility. You have to be responsible, knowing that things are going to change and being responsible to change them quickly enough, but not just change things for the sake of change.
My advice to anybody as they go through the beginning part of the year and set their course on 2024 is this: Know that change is coming. Know that there’s going to be a lot of change. Know that things in your personal life, as well as your work life, are definitely going to change, and you will be ready for a great year.