Jason Feifer’s book Build for Tomorrow has this tagline: An action plan for embracing change, adapting fast, and future-proofing your career. Packed with solid examples and guiding questions, the book delivers that action plan in a relatable way.
The book stands out from other change management content in terms of how it approaches the topic. It brings a fresh perspective to personal change management.
We experience change in phases which usually range like this: Panic -> adapt grudgingly -> find a new normal -> love the new normal and don’t want to go back. However, there are tools available to embrace change more enthusiastically.
Using examples from history about how people typically resist the new before accepting the change, Jason Feifer outlines a plan to embrace and thrive through change. Time plays a big role in helping people accept change.
Quiet the panic
Through the book, Jason Feifer explores why we panic and how to quiet that panic and prepare to adapt.
Adapt
Talking about adaptation, identifying what we do and why we do it can help us change before we are compelled to. There are guiding questions and exercises to speed our adaptation.
Find your new normal
Treating failure as data can help us approach the new normal. Understanding how to build a bridge of familiarity can help us find our new normal.
Wouldn't go back
Jason Feifer takes us through this journey to prime us to embrace our Wouldn’t go back moment.
Here are some reflection points that I found most helpful:
- When something is about to change, identify what role that something has played for you. For example, if it’s a career change, understanding that your career is not an identify, but a series of opportunities to help you grow, can bring a new meaning to the change. When you pinpoint the specifics of what is changing, you can pause that panic.
- Set goals in life to serve as a guide instead of as an ultimate purpose. Goals should not limit you. Write your life goals to serve as a guide while keeping an open mind towards opportunities.
- When juggling priorities, identify the opportunities that should be prioritized amidst demanding priorities.
- When experiencing change, identify your bridge of familiarity to help you adapt.
- Commit to seeing the whole change process through. Change follows an unpredictable path to new opportunities, which adds to the excitement.
The potential joy of tomorrow is what propels you and gives you purpose.
Jason Feifer
Acts Consultation 