How Hard Can It Be? Dealing With Growth and Change

29 Jul How Hard Can It Be? Dealing With Growth and Change

September  25 2012 was the date I posted my first profile picture on the Facebook page. It was of the first TARDIS I built for my friend, Nic.  Since then I’ve posted 127 profile pictures, 192 cover photos, 2727 mobile uploads and 774 timeline photos.

In other news, the Facebook page has, at time of writing, 4703 likes and on Instagram there are 2588 likes and have been 1523 posts.

What does all this mean? Apart from me spending too much time posting pictures when I should be making things?  It means I’ve  grown, changed, met people, made things, made more things, learned things, messed things up, had mighty triumphs and failed a bunch of times.

It also means that I’m incredibly grateful. For the people who started following me way back when, for the person who followed me about five minutes ago. Grateful for that person who just keeps buying whatever I make and for the person who shyly bought a necklace off me at Nerdmania last weekend. You are awesome.

However, this isn’t one of those, “OMG I’m so grateful and thank you”, posts. I want to look at change in general, because it’s scary, it’s hard and it’s inevitable.

When I’m interviewed or asked to speak on what I do, I often glibly say , “how hard can it be?” The actual answer is “sometimes it’s very hard.” Change is the same for me. I see it coming , I watch it approach and then it’s on me and my ,”pffft, sure, whatever”, has changed to,”OMG what have I done?” So it doesn’t help that to grow you have to change.

If you type, “dealing with growth and change”, into Google, it will return pages and pages of information. I’m sure it’s all very informative but me being me, I didn’t read any of it, I mean , how hard can it be?  So here is my quick guide on what I do.

Firstly, what I used to do.

Step one – see change coming

Step two – ignore change

Step three – wonder why I’m panicking and things aren’t like they used to be. Try to carry on in my usual manner. Fail. Panick. Look at change from the corner of my eye. Fight change in a death battle. Begrudgingly say “OK” to change when change makes me tap out. Tell change that it’s a jerk. Grow.

What I do now

Step one – see change coming

Step two – plan for  change’s arrival

Step three – eye change suspiciously, welcome change to the door with apprehension, show change my plan, watch as change laughs at my plan and sweeps it off the table and dances on my plan, call change a jerk, work out a new plan with change, do new plan. Grow

See, look, it’s July 29 2016 and I’ve grown. I’ve changed. I’m getting better.  I’m smashing it. Kinda. I’m pretty proud of that though. I don’t panic anymore and I don’t hide from it, (I hide a little).

There will be more change in the future , I’m sure. As I create more pieces. The Loki staff, the Infinity Gauntlet and many more will force change upon me.  The people I meet and the paths I choose to go down will all make me grow. So I welcome change and will eye it off suspiciously then give it mighty hug and hope it doesn’t strangle hold me into submission. How hard can it be?