09.10.09
Improvements
I was thinking yesterday, something that I really need to get in the habit of doing more often, about changes I would like to make in my life. There were many of the usual suspects; lose weight, eat better, get my blood sugars more under control, finish projects around the house, make a bigger effort to see my wife’s point of view. The list could go on for pages. I realized that every item on the list should make my life that much better in the long run, but could add quite a bit of stress in the short run. You know how it is, I’m hungry and get more cranky. The more cranky I am, the more I take it out on my wife and those around me. The more I do that, the less able I am to see her point of view.
It seems as though each change I make for the better in one area of my life leads to stress and other trouble in another area. That got me thinking some more about how this is true at work as well as in my personal life. We all know how downsizing, new management or ownership, or new rules can make every one in the workplace nervous and antsy. Smaller changes that alter the daily routine can have the same, though often more subtle, effect. We are renovating some rest rooms, actually putting in new modern facillities, and it is amazing the side effeects that this is causing.
The constructin throws off the usual timing for getting ready for a show and adds stress to the buildings and grounds crew. Some of the smaller events during the week cannot go on with the noise and dirt of construction, so the builders have to delay their work. We have to figure out where everything that used to be in the renovated rooms will now be stored. Room has to be made for the shows that used to use those rooms to get another space. Again, the list could go on for pages. Just like at home, the change causes friction between the various people who are effected.
I guess, in a way, the lesson is similar to the moral of many of the movies about going through boot camp. Change is difficult, but if you work hard and keep at it, in the end things will be better than before you started. It is hard to realize or remember as you or I are going through the change and perhaps that is what causes much of the stress. i guess I’ll have to think about that some more!
