Change only constant in world

  • Published
  • By Col. Ken Stefanek
  • 39th Air Base Wing vice commander
INCIRLIK AIR BASE, Turkey --  Change ... it has been said that the only constant in the world is change. We have all experienced significant change during our lifetimes, whether it is due to getting married, having children, or PCSing halfway around the world.

One would think that with the amount of change we experience in the military, we would be comfortable with it; however, most of us are somewhat resistant to change and are suspicious of new things both in our personal lives and in the work place.

Since change is a fact of life, the question for us is what we should do to mitigate our resistance to change and make it a positive experience.

The first step is to acknowledge the shortcomings of where we are at. On the personal side, most people that are contemplating marriage understand that this choice represents a significant change in lifestyle, yet most also acknowledge that their life wouldn't be complete without the new spouse. In the workplace, we may have accomplished the mission a certain way for years, yet we acknowledge that there may be a better way to conduct business.

Once we acknowledge these shortcomings, we need to educate ourselves on how change will lead to improvement, whether it is in living a happier personal life or creating a better workplace by instituting a new procedure developed under a program like AFSO 21.

By learning more about why we are initiating change, how we will execute it, and how it will make us better, we will mitigate our resistance to it and allow the change to enrich our lives. Simply stated, we change things in hope of making them better.

On my wedding day I didn't fully understand the change that getting married would bring into my life. Rather than resist the change, I learned how to become better husband, talked to married friends, and embraced married life. In this way I allowed the change to enrich my life.

I would suggest that embracing AFSO 21 in the same way will help ensure that we reach our full potential which will in turn improve our ability to ensure freedom's future.