4 Tips For Making A Transition
“The only people who like change are wet babies.” —Anonymous
From time to time it is necessary to make transitions in your life. This could be from one job to another, or perhaps one relationship to another. It can even be as focused as moving from a major piece of software to another. However, there are also life-changing transitions. Ones that not only affect your present, but also can permanently affect your future.
I experienced one of those life-changing transitions, and thought it might be a good topic for this article. After all, who hasn’t experienced change in life? There are essentially two ways we can look at change. The first is with fear, trepidation, and discomfort, and the second is with excitement, opportunism, and a sense of wonder. Unfortunately, most of us tend to view change with the attitude of the former. I admit that I fall into that trap, as well. It took me some time to regain a healthy perspective on the changes that were happening to me, and I want to offer 4 tips on how to deal with change in a healthy way, while minimizing the natural fear that comes with even the smallest changes in our lives. But first...
My Story
Let me share with you my story to give you a perspective as to why I am writing this.
Eric Vancil setting up a shot for a commercial.
As of January, 2018 I had been working for a school district, running their video production department for 30 years. In that time, I had done a few outside projects, but the district kept me busy enough that I rarely did anything outside of the school, and certainly never sought outside work. The most I would do is freelance for a few companies here and there, just to keep current in my field. Working with students is very rewarding, but working for a school district can be very limiting in scope, and it is quite easy to regress in certain areas of production. While I felt it necessary to continue to freelance on an intermittent basis, I found I didn’t have as much time as I would like, and I soon stopped altogether. This wasn’t calculated, but was simply a result of the increasingly busy schedule I had at the school.
In 2015, this all changed. I was growing increasingly dissatisfied with the way the district was being run, as well as my role, in general. It was around this time that offers to work on outside projects began pouring in. The projects were not the usual run-of-the-mill corporate or event work, but were interesting and/or creative projects that caused me to strongly consider them. In June of that year, one of my bands needed an electronic press kit (EPK), and I drafted my two co-workers (who later became my business partners) to assist during certain points of the production. This EPK for the Michael L. Ferguson Band awakened a long-dormant creative spark that would not be extinguished. I remember driving home from doing a scene on the beach (yes…the beach!), and saying that I had not had this much fun doing video in over a decade. The challenge of doing this video was that it had to be created out of almost nothing. We needed it within a few weeks, and the only footage we had was some interviews of the singer for a series of webisodes that were done a few months prior, but only two out of the five were officially released. Michael had the idea of using those interviews as the basis for the EPK, and to let them tell the story. It was, admittedly, a bit ret-conned, and certainly rushed, but it worked better than I had hoped. You can view it by clicking the link below.
Michael L. Ferguson working in the studio with Andy Patalan (Producer)
It was soon after completing work on this EPK that my two co-workers and I decided that now is the time to form a production company to not only work on projects in which we wanted to work, but also to diversify the type of projects in which we were working. Thus, Chromatin Productions was born.
As time passed, the three of us realized that our job for the school district was taking valuable time away from our business. We could do what so many have done, and simply left the job, but we all felt that it was not the wisest thing to do, especially right now—in Michigan. However, an opportunity arose with a larger production company with whom we’ve been working off and on, and I saw that this was the perfect move that would allow me more time to work on the business, while still keeping a steady flow of income. In the video production world, at least in Michigan, companies are finding that combining resources is a good way to combat that which is hurting our industry, but that’s a subject for another article.
The move from working for a school district for 30 years, to working for another company (and having a boss), all while building my business, has caused tremendous stress in my life, and shaken the status quo. This situation has caused me to think about how I approach change in the future. Here are 4 tips that can help you when you inevitably face the changes and transitions in your life.
Sometimes it can be confusing as to which direction to go, but there are signs to lead your way.
Remember that change is inevitable
Once you truly embrace this fact, you will be armed to deal with any changes that may arise. One of the problems that I know I have in my own life is that I get complacent. Does that happen to you? I suppose if changes are happening to you all the time, then you would have an easier time adapting to change, but that’s not how most of our minds work. Most of us set ourselves up for the long haul, and put down deep roots. When we started our businesses it was to create a long-term career that allowed us to have a certain lifestyle. That lifestyle was not designed to be temporary.
When we take on a job, settle down and get married, enter into a friendship, start a new relationship with a client, or move into a new location for your business, these are all designed to be long-term situations. A happy benefit of modern society is that it allows us to free ourselves from the worries that not long ago faced our ancestors. We no longer have to worry about attaining the necessities of life (food, shelter, etc), as they are readily available to us. We only have to worry about having enough money to be able to afford whatever lifestyle we have chosen, or at least sustaining an acceptable quality of living. It is because we don’t face these dangers and/or challenges that we can sustain a particular situation in our lives for long periods of time.
I also believe that this is the primary reason why we are not as well-equipped as our ancestors to deal with change. Because of the vast resources our modern society has put at our disposal, we have more control over our situation, and that creates a false sense of security. We become conditioned to our current status, and the longer we are able to sustain it, the harder it is to adapt to any changes that arise. By realizing that change is not only probable, but inevitable you will start to understand that it is not a question of “if,” but rather “when” a change will occur. Just the act of being mentally prepared for change can make quite a difference once a change does come along to upset the balance in your life.
Always plan for any contingency, but be flexible enough that you can take advantage of opportunities as they arise.
Always have a plan B (and C…and D)
In my own life, as well as my observation of others’ lives, I have found that it’s not so much the change itself that is distressing, but the fact that we find ourselves so utterly unprepared for it. A good, albeit morbid, example of this is the death of a loved one. In addition to the emotional impact of the loss, many find that they are not prepared to deal with the ramifications of that person’s death. Important papers, bank account numbers, critical passwords, etc were not shared, leaving the family members in a state of disarray, along with grieving for their loved one’s death. Losing someone you love is difficult enough, but being left unprepared to deal with the finances, business dealings, etc that arise upon that person’s loss can be crippling.
The same goes for business. There are many changes that can occur that affect a business. As a business owner you have to be prepared for these changes, or you can find yourself in a precarious position. Having a plan B, and sometimes C and D, can take the stress out of changes that can otherwise have a negative impact on your business, as well as your clients. Many business owners come to rely on one or two employees for the running of the day-to-day operations. This is good, as it allows you to spend more time creating opportunities, and working on expanding your business, while also providing valuable experience and training for your employees, but it can work against you if you find yourself in a situation where that employee leaves the company, and you are now left with dealing with the fallout. Part of having a plan B is to never leave your business operations completely in someone else’s hands. As with every situation, you will find yourself relying on that person to the point that you will find it difficult to resume those duties once that person leaves the company. Delegation is a good thing, but never take it to the point that your company can’t function without that person.
Ultimately, it’s about not putting all your eggs in that one proverbial basket. By assuming that change won’t come, or at least it won’t come soon, you leave yourself and your business vulnerable to the consequence(s) of change.
Preparation plus opportunity is the ultimate key to success!
Assess and prepare
One of the best antidotes to fear is preparation. While it is impossible to prepare for every situation that might arise, you can prepare for those that seem to be the most likely to occur. This is where the assessment part comes into play.
When we shot our first music video we had big aspirations. We could’ve taken the easy way out, and shot the band in a room, used some stock footage, and called it a day, but we had an idea for a story that called for a level of production that we, frankly, had never tried. It wasn’t a question of assessing the challenges, because we didn’t even know what challenges we might face. All we could do was to take it as it would come, and do as much preparation as we could for each shooting day. The same went for the post-production process. We found that it was much easier to do it this way, and it was a great success that was later nominated for an award.
Many make the mistake of figuring out every scenario that can possibly occur, and then trying—in vain—to prepare. A much better strategy is to assess the most likely scenarios, and then spend time in preparation for those. Complacency is what prevents us from employing this strategy, and numbs us into thinking that nothing is going to change, in other words we are lulled into enjoying our current situation, without preparing for any changes that are likely to occur. This doesn’t mean that you have to spend every moment preparing for the next step, but assessment and preparation should be part of a routine that occurs at regular intervals. In your personal life, this might be every year when you are making your New Years Resolution. In your business, it might be at a weekly, monthly, or yearly strategy meeting. You simply have to commit to realizing that changes in your life and your business will happen, and understanding the need to plan accordingly.
These articles can help you do that. They are designed to help you understand how video can help your business grow, and to help better prepare you for the production process, as well as how to properly market your video. You need to be ready for changes that arise in the business landscape on an almost daily basis, and we are committed to helping you do it.
Always maintain a positive attitude! Change can be a great motivator, even under the worst of circumstances.
Have a positive attitude
The key to all of it, though, is to have a positive attitude. Granted, this is not easy to do if you have not followed the above steps, as you’ll find it difficult to overcome the grip of fear and dread that naturally follows when blindsided by change. Instead of focusing on what can be an exciting time in your life, many often feel as if the proverbial rug has been pulled out from under you. I have a great example of this from my own life.
In 2016 I joined a local BNI chapter. It took a while, though. I didn’t do this right away. I started Chromatin Productions in July, 2015. I remember going to my chiropractor in November or December of that year, and mentioning my business to him. He began telling me about this networking group to which he belonged, and they were looking for a videographer to whom they could pass referrals. It sounded cool, but I had just started the business with my partners, and felt like I was a bit too new to the game to join a networking group comprised of other business owners. To be honest, I was just intimidated. Not to mention that they meet at 7:00am. I’m a musician. I was used to going to bed at 4:00am! He would periodically mentioned it to me as I had my monthly appointments, and I finally decided to visit his chapter in August 2016. I had no idea what to expect. BNI is a very organized, structured, yet fun organization made up of positive people who believe that if they work to get you business, you will do the same for each of them. They call this “Giver’s Gain.” I was hooked immediately! They were a fun, friendly group, and I could see that they passed good, quality referrals to each other. I saw this as an opportunity to grow Chromatin quickly, and bypass the endless cold-calling phase. In addition to this, I had my friend and chiropractor (who also happened to be President of the chapter) to help me get acclimated. Life was good!
…then tragedy struck….
Sometimes life can throw an unexpected curveball, but this can be a catalyst to positive change in your business, or your life—–even both!
On my third visit, which was when I was to be inducted into the chapter, I found out that my chiropractor had abruptly quit the group! Imagine the scene…I’m in a strange place, in a brand new situation, I have little to no understanding of this organization, and know absolutely no one in the group! Oh…and I’m brand new to business, too. To say that I was tempted to find a polite way to decline becoming a member, and find a way out was an understatement. I decided that I needed to see it through. It was to the benefit of the business, and I can see that there were some personal growth opportunities, as well. You become a much better public speaker, because you have to do a weekly presentation on what referrals you would like to receive for the week, as well as other speaking opportunities.
The point is that this was a HUGE change. The only thing that would’ve been worse than retreating from the situation entirely was if I had a negative attitude about it. My chiropractor had a major change in his schedule that prevented him from participating. My positive attitude paid off. The people in the chapter rallied around me, and guided me through. I soon became an Ambassador for an additional chapter, and I later became President of my chapter! There were so many great opportunities in which I would’ve missed out if I hadn’t adopted an attitude of faith, versus cowering in fear, and letting the situation rob me of what had turned into a great experience.
Final thoughts
Change is not an easy process for any of us. It’s more comfortable for our situations to remain the same. We begin to develop a system, and while it is without a doubt more comfortable to remain in our current circumstances, change is the catalyst for growth. It is easy to approach any changes in your life with fear, trepidation, and suspicion, but if you follow the steps above, you can approach change with confidence, and you might find that what was once viewed with disdain might be looked upon with thankfulness in hindsight.
One of the changes that people fear is the methods they use to promote and market their business. It is tempting to either attempt to do a video on your own, or avoid making a video for your business altogether because you don’t know what to say to a production company, or you’re afraid of being sold something you don’t need. My articles and videos are designed to demystify the production process, and give you tips and ideas on how to approach video production for your business, so you are prepared to have a video produced, and can confidently convey your ideas. Let us tell your story, and get your message out to your audience. Fill out a discovery form, and let's talk about how we can use video to help you grow your business!
We want to hear from you! Leave a comment on what changes you faced, and how you overcame them.