Since completing the posting of the Everything Changes! series I've been thinking about what to do next.  What came to mind fairly quickly was applying the principals from this series to real changes.  One of the things I had hoped for in writing the course was that people might take the fundamentals and see if they could spot them at work in their direct experience.  However, I would be the first to acknowledge that some of the concepts are so closely aligned with our being that they're very difficult to detect.

One small example is the title of the series…Everything Changes!  On one level of consciousness we know that things change.  But frequently it's far more comfortable to think that things don't change.  People don't change, government and politicians don't change, life itself doesn't change.  Heck, some of us don't even want to acknowledge climate change…or at least that there is man-made involvement in climate change.  But this is just another example of being more comfortable with the belief that things don't change.

From our discussion of change we know that actions create change.  But we don't perceive the change in every action because many of our actions are aimed at keeping things the same.  In recent weeks our attention has been riveted to the financial crisis unfolding on Wall Street.  Here looms a change and a challenge to our financial system that hasn't been seen since the Great Depression.

Q: What was the government's response to this seemingly overnight financial crisis?

The immediate response was to prevent a massive financial collapse.  Aside from whether we think an unprecedented $700 Billion dollar bailout with taxpayer's money was warranted, the point I want to make is it represents an attempt to keep things the same--to prevent this change from mushrooming into even greater change.  Is that a bad thing?  No, I think it's far better than doing nothing.  However, it was interesting that as soon as the bailout got approved we had many financial pundits claiming the bailout wouldn't improve the markets anytime soon.  And indeed the crisis seems to be expanding to a global credit crunch, with various European governments now scrambling to shore up failing banks in their countries.  And the realization that the bailout will take time to work has resulted in further declines in stock values on Wall Street.

Q: Ok, this much we all know; but how can we utilize the fundamentals of change to understand how this all impacts us?

Remember how we talked about events that create a perceived unknown that in turn creates a sense of discomfort because we don't know how things are going to turn out?  This chain of events is the reason we resist change.  It's also the reason we take action to keep things unchanged.  We said these circumstances are intertwined with our need for control--with our need to feel as though we're in control of our environment.

When we talked about the need for control I acknowledged that it's such a seamless part of us that we often don't even recognize it until an event arises that threatens our sense of control.  These are the perceived changes that instinctively produce a reaction of discomfort from our internal operating system.  Every human being strives to establish a sense of control as a base from which to live and be.  We're not talking about "control freaks," we're talking about a fundamental need in everyone that can be translated into an internal sense of well-being.  Only in experiencing change are we shown a glimpse of this internal need.

Q: So how does our need for control become a factor in this financial crisis?

First we need to recognize that a Free Enterprise system is centered and focused on money.  Everything costs money from meeting basic needs for food, clothing and shelter to whatever else you can imagine.  Everything has a price and money is the means to acquiring it.  Under this scenario it's only natural that money becomes associated with control.  If you've got money you establish a measure of control over your environment.  When change does happen, money can insulate you from any problems that arise.

In this case it's the loss of money that erodes our sense of control.  Whether the loss comes in the form of declining home values or declines in the value of your 401K, the security blanket represented by the amount of money we have has lost some of its coverage.  As a result we feel as though we have less control over our circumstances.  The loss of control is even worse for a family facing the loss of their home through foreclosure.  Or for a small business depending on a line of credit to fund inventories, pay suppliers and make payroll.  If short-term credit is unavailable to meet these needs we face a domino effect in terms of further declines in economic activity, jobs and ultimately the ability to continue repaying our personal debt.

Q: Are there other ways we might look at this situation?

I believe there are and we'll look at a couple of those ways next time…


Note to reader: Thanks for reading!  As always, I welcome any thoughts, comments or input you might have on change or as it pertains to the subject of this blog.

With the Dow Jones dropping another 500 points yesterday the panic on Wall Street is rising.  Most people think the stock market is a place where you put your money and it grows.  And over relatively long periods of time--10, 15 or 20 years--stocks have shown a higher rate of return than you could get by keeping your money in the bank.  But with higher returns comes higher risk and the stock market is no exception.

There's a couple problems with the stock market.  First, any investment in stocks is a bet on the future.  How's the clarity of your crystal ball?  Most people only see what they want to believe about the future.  Second, the value of a company's stock only partially reflects the relative financial health and strength of the company.  The rest of the value equation is driven by market psychology--the beliefs held by investors who are again betting on a future they can only guess at.  Right now that market psychology is being driven by panic over the credit crisis, which started with the sub-prime mortgage mess.  Third, people tend to look at their market portfolio and forget that all gains and losses are on paper.   Meaning that you don't realize a loss or gain until you actually sell the stock.  Of course, this doesn't keep people from panicking over paper losses and turning them into the real thing by selling.

Q: Ok, so how can we use what we've learned about change to help us deal with this situation?

In the last blog we talked about how we use money to feel like we're in control.  Losing money then equates to a loss of control and directly contributes to feelings of stress and anxiety.  Remember in the Everything Changes! series we said that our senses contribute heavily to our attention being fixated on our external surroundings.  Our internal operating system (IOS) in turn uses the feedback from our senses to maintain a sense of control over the outer environment.  But what happens when we can't control the outer environment?  This financial crisis is a classic example of external circumstances beyond our control.

The first thing our IOS does is automatically attempt to regain control of the outer environment.  In this situation a common reaction would be to get out of the stock market regardless of the loss.  But a deeper understanding of our internal operating system suggests that we switch modes of control.  Instead of trying to control the external environment we shift our focus to how our internal operating system is reacting and work to control our response.  This change from being driven by outer events to an inward focus enables us to check ourselves at the point of our thinking.  Remember we said that thoughts precede our outer actions, and it's our outer actions that produce real consequences.  When we switch to an inward focus we suspend the automatic reaction of our IOS and have time to think about the consequences of our actions.

Our reaction to change is a reaction to the unknown.  Suddenly what we thought we knew becomes an unknown.  This is destabilizing, it's uncomfortable and it creates stress and anxiety.  But it helps to remember that what changes around us, invites (and in some cases demands) us to change as well.  A big part of our sense of control comes from what we know.  Do we know what the future will bring?  We simply cannot.  It helps to remember that we don't know everything, that life is a mystery that is continuously unfolding, and not to get too stuck on a version that is based solely on our individual expectations.

In times like these when many of us will be tested, we need to remember something that I've been taught through my own experience… There is always a way!  In the darkest hour when the path forward is completely obscured we continue to learn by putting one foot in front of the other.  Don't make the tragic mistake of people who think there is nothing left to live for…  We are never given a challenge bigger than we can handle.  The reward for enduring the darkness is the light that always follows.

To change we must learn, and to learn we must be willing to entertain new ideas.  Where new ideas are concerned it's best to experiment with the concept--thereby avoiding the usual traps of getting stuck in the known or falling prey to blind acceptance.  By experimenting we remain open to possibility while testing ideas for validity through direct experience.  When faced with the unknown, answers are not always apparent but rather are revealed with the passage of time.  What we learn in the process is the knowledge that propels us to still further destinations along the path.

This much I know, no matter the challenge, nor the seeming impossibility…there is always a way!


Note to reader: Thanks for reading!  I welcome your thoughts, comments and input.  DR

You might think that with all the change stemming from the unfolding global financial crisis that understanding the fundamentals of change would seem a little more relevant right now…  But for the vast majority of people their only real desire is to get back to the way it was.  We get comfortable with our routines and with what we know.  When the unknown looms in front of us our only desire is to get back to the comfort and safety of the known.  And we'll do everything in our power to make that happen.  I know because I've observed it in others and witnessed my own reactions to the unknown.

Well, what's wrong with trying to convert the unknown back to the known?  Is there anything particularly instructive about hanging out in the unknown?  There can be, but only if you can get beyond your fear of not knowing.  The unknown presents us with a natural opportunity to increase awareness of ourselves.  For example, it helps us get a clearer picture of fear and how it influences our actions.  It can help us tune into what we're really afraid of.  And it can help us see that there are times when events really are beyond our control.  Awareness of these realities can help us temper some of the stress and unnecessary worry running through our minds.

Depending on how deep you want to go the unknown can even be seen as a doorway to the experience of something bigger than ourselves.  As people we are often unable to see beyond our direct interaction with the physical world.  As a result we believe that everything in our experience can be manipulated to our benefit.  From this perspective life should always be fun, we shouldn't have to experience unpleasantness, or go without anything we desire.  This, of course, is a fairy tale version of life.  We all can and have experienced challenges, hard times and difficulties.  

So why do we experience these things that we wouldn't otherwise choose?  Could it be there is something beyond our current awareness--something that is trying to get our attention?  Can we accept the possibility that life has purpose beyond what the senses can detect?  Is there some higher intelligence that weaves its thread through our lives?  In my experience there is, and it's in those times when we don't know, that we are most open to the possibility of a higher intelligence weaving itself through the fabric of our lives.

Without faith in a higher intelligence we are left to carry the weight of the world--everything depends on you and me.  But neither are we absolved from responsibility for our actions.  We act within our sphere of influence, but allow for and acknowledge events beyond our control.  This balanced approach allows for events beyond our control and yet still allows us to interact responsibly within our surroundings.

Could there be more to the unknown than meets the eye?

There has to come a point in our awareness where we look beyond the surface events for something bigger than us.  That inner voice you hear--the one that makes the most noise and is your toughest critic; is the voice of your lower self.  More commonly referred to as the ego.  It's your ego that experiences fear.  It's your ego that is most vocal in matters of a sensory nature.  What I referred to in the Everything Changes! series as our internal operating system could also be referred to as the ego.  I didn't call it that because the term has become such a cliché that proper understanding of its function is easily lost in translation.  No one is without an ego because proper psychological functioning depends on having one.  That being said, if we are to realize anything beyond the surface appearances of our sensory impressions, then we must work to understand the ego's reactions and where appropriate learn to override some of its automatic responses.  Like its aversion to the unknown…


Note to reader:  Thanks for reading!  If you have comments or questions please feel free to respond.