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Two things about change are well known:

• As a rule, people hate change, and
• Change is inevitable

It’s ironic, huh? That the one thing pretty much everybody is universally adverse to - is impossible to avoid? (Ironic, as you know, is an ancient Arabic expression that means made entirely of iron.)

But am I correct in thinking it’s really not change that’s so hard to deal with; it’s the fear of change? I don’t know; maybe I’m splitting hairs, here.

But over the years it’s been my observation that, generally speaking, once I’m in the midst of a big life change, my life actually becomes easier. It’s the anticipation of the change that’s so hard on me! (Could it be because I’m too busy dealing with what changed to be afraid of it any more? Hmmm… have to think about that. What do you think?)

If that’s the case, though, then it sorta begs the question doesn’t it? How exactly do you get a handle on managing something you’d rather not even think about? How do you overcome the fear of change?

Oddly enough, I picked up a few tips on that from, well, a really, really big… Ferris wheel (sound of rimshot)!

What Goes Up…

Back in the Spring of 2000, Mrs. MZM and I spent a few days in Paris, just kinda wandering around and exploring the place. Among other things, we visited the Eiffel Tower (of course!), took a nighttime boat ride down the Seine (ooh-la-la!), checked out the Arc du Triomphe, and generally did the tourist thing for a few days.

But when we arrived at the Plaza de la Concorde we stumbled across, of all things, this absolutely humongous Ferris wheel! (Click on the photo for an, er, humongous view. Bwa-ha-ha-ha! Er, sorry.)

Now, ordinarily I’m not impressed by Ferris wheels. I mean, what’s the big deal? You get on, you go around and around a few times, you get off. Big whoop. But I must admit; this time size, er, mattered! I’m tellin’ ya; this thing was enormous!

See those passenger cars? Although they don’t look that big, each one of them was actually about 8 to10 feet wide and high (about 3 meters or so). There was room to comfortably seat about 8 people in each one.

Anyway, since it was the off-season (April) and there were virtually no tourists around, we got our pick of cars and climbed in. While we were waiting for the thing to start (who were we waiting for? There was nobody but us!), we just chatted about odds and ends - stuff we were planning to do next, my previous trip to Paris and how it compared with this one, etc.

Eventually we started moving, so smoothly and slowly that you literally couldn’t feel a thing (a very weird feeling, that; like the world is moving and we’re the ones standing still). Mrs. MZM, though, didn’t seem to react; we continued talking for several minutes until finally I pointed out the window at the Eiffel Tower (several miles away) and remarked about the incredible view.

[By the way, did I ever mention that Mrs. MZM is, er, sorta uncomfortable with heights? I accidentally discovered this during our honeymoon in Hawaii, when I pulled her up with me to the top of a 6-foot high wall to get a better view - and she couldn’t get down! So when I suggested we go for a ride on this thing, she was understandably nervous. But like the trooper she is, she was willing to give it a try.]

Anyway, once I pointed out the view, she turned around and stared, struck suddenly speechless. We’d moved from ground level to about 200 feet in the air, and to her amazement she hadn’t even noticed!

As a matter of fact, once she overcame the shock, from that point on she experienced no trepidation at all, even when we got a bonus - the operator stopped us right at the very top for about 10 minutes (as I said, we were the only riders). What a view!

The Four Fundamentals

So what was it that not only allowed Mrs. MZM to pretty much overcome her fear, but let her to truly enjoy an admittedly out-of-the-box (for her) experience? What specifically made the difference?

Well, after due consideration, I can think of several reasons.

• First, the Ferris wheel looked big, solid, and well built - nothing like those rickety things you see at most carnivals.
• Second, she could trust in the fact that I’d be right there with her, holding her hand (so if anything went terribly wrong, hey, at least we’d crash and burn together!)
• Third, lots of other people had survived the experience just fine.
• Fourth, the transition from stationary to moving was so smooth it was hardly noticeable.

The first three items are why she was willing to try it. But the last one is why she enjoyed it.

Now, after cogitating on that a bit, I came to realize something interesting. This list can also be useful to help us manage… change. So let’s look at how a ride on the biggest Ferris wheel I’ve ever seen can teach us valuable lessons about overcoming the fear of change.

Fundamental #1 - Is it solid and well built?

OK, let’s say there’s something you’d really like to accomplish, but it’s a bit out of your comfort zone. Hey, great - at least you’ve got a goal! Now, what’s the plan for accomplishing it? Is it solid, like the structure of that Ferris wheel? Is it well-crafted and sensible? Those are the questions you have to ask yourself before putting your trust in a plan.

But there’s an underlying question too. Is the thing you want to accomplish worth it? (For us, it was the view from the top that motivated us to get on board.) See, it’s all about motivation. Once you’ve assured yourself of the value of the goal, then motivation kicks in to make the doing much, much easier.

After all, there’s lots of things I’d simply rather not do (I think we can all relate to that!) But it’s the value of the result that is important to me, more than the thing I’m afraid of. So, I do them!

Fundamental #2 - Can you put your trust in it?

Chances are, there is something that sortof leads us to do pretty much everything, whether it’s a person, an inspiring bit of reading, or perhaps a principle. For Mrs. MZM, it was yours truly. The fact is, she would never have gotten on board if I hadn’t encouraged her - and accompanied her.

Yep; that’s a key point right there. Do you have any kind of support system for what you want to do? Are there others who are going with you? Cheering you on? Providing backup?

Fundamental #3 - Has it been done before?

I’m going to go out on a limb here (sound of branch beginning to snap) and say this: Chances are, you’re not the first one to do it! It’s highly likely that there is plenty of hysterical historical evidence that what you want to accomplish is indeed not only possible, but is being done every day! Unfortunately, in our *ahem* analysis, we usually concentrate on our own fear so much we miss that little detail.

After all, it was reasonable to assume (since it was still in business, and we couldn’t see any ambulances ‘standing by’) that plenty of folks had successfully negotiated this particular Ferris wheel - and lived to tell about it.

So check out the evidence of success that’s likely just a Google search away. Hey, you never know; you might be able to come up with a new way of accomplishing what turns out to be a not-so-uncommon thing!

Fundamental #4 - Can you take it slow (at first)?

OK, you’ve got your goal, and let’s say it’s a big, hairy, audacious one. Great! You’re comfortable with the plan, you’ve got your support system in place, and you know it can be done. Even better! Now, how do you turn that goal into action? Break it down into manageable steps.

But… what if there’s maybe one or two steps that make you nervous. OK let’s be honest - they scare you to death (sound of terrified scream). You’re not even sure you can do them.

Hey, the answer is as easy as - riding a big, giant Ferris wheel (sound of audience groaning and rolling their eyes)! Start off as slowly as you need to, build up to a comfortable speed, then hit it!

So What Did I Miss?

It’s kinda interesting, when you think about it. Wandering around Paris, just enjoying the sights, who would’ve thought we’d stumble across a life lesson that would help us manage many of the big changes we’ve experienced in our lives since then?

So what about it? Am I on the right track here? Or should I go back to my day job as a crash-test dummy? I realize this barely scratches the surface of this issue, so I’d like to know what you would add to the fundamentals listed above.

______________________

Sadly, while writing this article I discovered my favorite Ferris wheel is no longer there. Apparently there was a dispute between the owner and the city, and it ended up being dismantled a few years back. Too bad.

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