THE TIMES THEY ARE A CHANGIN’

Author Charles Scott

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THE TIMES THEY ARE A CHANGIN’

Watching the pictures of the floods in the news recently, I kept thinking of words from the Bob Dylan song, “Admit that the waters around you have grown, and accept it that soon you’ll be drenched to the bone”, Of course, Dylan wasn’t singing about the weather although the times certainly seem to changing in terms of our climate. More relevant, perhaps, is that for businesses of all types, the times are always changing and one has to be aware of those changes and try to stay one step ahead. That isn’t always easy. For one thing, the old maxim “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” is a powerful one along with “make hay while the sun shines”. If things are going well, we see no need to change and often that stops us preparing for different trading conditions that are looming on the horizon.

Another reason that we avoid change, either consciously or sub-consciously is that it is stressful. Stress is the body’s natural reaction to change and to a certain extent is a good thing, giving us the drive and clarity of thought required to deal with new challenges. However, too much stress invariably leads to health problems. In the modern world, we are not good at recognising, accepting or dealing with excess stress and it is possibly the underlying reason why we try and avoid change.

In my work as a Complementary Therapist, I regularly deal with issues surrounding change and stress. People’s lives may have been affected by worry or trauma in various degrees or they have just reached a point when they realise that they need to do something about their stress levels. Indeed, it is estimated that between 75% and 80% of visits to a GP are stress related. Regular visits to a therapist such as me can not only reduce stress and improve your health but could save the NHS millions.

On a personal note, the times certainly are a changin’ but for me. I have moved from Aberdeenshire to the Forest of Dean leaving all my clients behind and starting again from scratch. However, more words from the Dylan song give me some comfort: “For the loser now will be later to win”.  Those words could be applied to many business owners who sometimes have to take one step back to go two steps forward.