29.03.2023 Views

Inspiring Women Magazine May 2023

Create successful ePaper yourself

Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.

feature<br />

Embracing Change<br />

Danielle Kuznetsov of the FAWCO<br />

Health Team on using stepping<br />

stones to help cope with change.<br />

We all know that there are not many<br />

guarantees in life. Many people<br />

joke that death and taxes are<br />

the absolutes we can count on. I<br />

would add CHANGE to that short list as well.<br />

Change is something that most people avoid like<br />

the plague. It is unpredictable, uncomfortable,<br />

and usually uninvited. Yet, making peace with<br />

it is vital to our health as individuals, couples,<br />

families, and communities, big and small.<br />

FAWCO is in the midst of exactly this kind of<br />

change; a circle of endings that are beginnings<br />

and beginnings that are endings. What happens<br />

on a small level in our private lives supersizes<br />

in organizations. Creating the space and<br />

opportunity for the people's real needs and the<br />

time to adjust is key in transitioning successfully<br />

from where you are to where you want to go.<br />

As expats we have unique experiences that help<br />

us thrive in change. Generally, planning<br />

strategically, maintaining adaptability and<br />

flexibility, and leading by example are the<br />

staples that keep us moving forward. What<br />

other criteria are needed to celebrate the good<br />

and build upon it so the return on investment<br />

(ROI) of change has lasting value?<br />

As a Life Coach and a woman who has<br />

experienced a huge life transition in the last<br />

few years (empty-nest and moving), I have been<br />

exploring this issue, with many ups and downs.<br />

Danielle Kuznetsov, Heidelberg IWC<br />

Retooling is not something that comes quickly,<br />

and there is no roadmap to follow. Each path<br />

for each person or organization is different.<br />

That being said, I have found common stepping<br />

stones to use as my guide. Here they are:<br />

1. Identify your values. A value is a<br />

principle that gives our life meaning and helps<br />

us to keep going when the going gets tough.<br />

Change, whether internal or external, requires<br />

that we reassess what is meaningful and<br />

necessary for us to move on in a stable and<br />

healthy fashion. A little bit of reflection can bring<br />

great clarity. The internet provides many free<br />

value inventories, making this reflection exercise<br />

fairly easy.<br />

36 INSPIRING WOMEN INSPIRING WOMEN 37

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!