How you view change affects how you respond to it.  From person to person we look at change differently based on our experience, but even within your daily life, your approach to change will vary with circumstance, state of mind, and whether the change was one you planned or one that was planned for you.  On the whole, your response in times of transition will follow a similar pattern based on your past experiences with change.  If change seems like danger, then you may tend to respond defensively or as if threatened.  If it seems like an opportunity, you will be much quicker to move into the change.

Whether you view change as a loss or an opportunity depends on a number of factors.  Some of those factors are external to you, and others depend on how you perceive the change.  When there are many changes happening at once, or the changes are coming at a very fast pace, or there are a number of major changes occurring simultaneously, there is a greater chance that a you may experience that change as a loss … even if it is a “good change”, such as a promotion, or a bigger office.  Even seemingly good changes knock you out of your routine, or change your relationships in a way that can be difficult to deal with.

How you personally consider a specific change has a great impact on how you will respond to it.  The greater the meaning you place upon a change, the greater may be the sense of loss. Two people can experience the same set of circumstances, but view them differently.

How you view a change can influence how you communicate, make decisions, plan and solve problems.  How much control you had over the change will probably affect how you respond to it.  Whether you had involvement in planning the change can also contribute to how the change is experienced.

It is also very important that you understand and honor the past.  There were good and valid reasons why things are the way they are now as you prepare to launch a new business venture, or to change an existing organization in some way.  Spend some time understanding were you came from, and why; and it will be lot easier to move into your future.

As mentioned earlier, a crucial factor in how you interact with a change is how you look at the change.  The more you value what is changing, the greater the sense of uncertainty you may experience.  Therefore, it is critical that you have a clear understanding of not only what is changing, but what is on the other side of the change.  You may even need to give yourself time to “grieve” for what was in order for you to move onto into the future.

This is the third in an ongoing series of articles on Change and Transition Management.  The next segment explains the critical difference between Change Management and Transition Management.

It is part of the overall series on Strategic Planning developed to help both Internet Marketers and off-line businesses to succeed in any economy, and in any market.