Everything I Know About Change I Learned From My Cats

"When one door closes another one opens. Often we look so long at the one that's closed we fail to see the one that's opened."- Helen Keller

 ________________________________________________________________

A few years ago, I started a new project that required me to live on the East Coast. My two cats, Jasmine and Ginger, and I flew cross-country to our temporary home. They were eager to escape from their cat carriers after our long flight. Following the advice of my vet, to introduce them to their new home one room at a time, I confined them initially to the bathroom and bedroom.  

I closed the door to the living room and let each cat out of her carrier. Ginger immediately ran under the bed and didn't venture out until the next day. Jasmine headed for the closed door, eager to discover what was on the other side. She wouldn't take no for an answer so I opened the door to let her roam. She hesitantly placed one paw on the shiny wood floor to make sure it was safe and then took off and spent the next few hours exploring her new home, while Ginger continued to hide under the bed. They both experienced the same change but responded in different ways.   

The thought struck me that cats have the same reaction to change as people. Some, like Jasmine, see change as an adventure and choose to explore the new world on the other side of the door. Others, like Ginger, prefer to hide under the bed and avoid experiencing anything different until forced to. It's not the change that makes the difference. It's what we think about the change. It's the internal battle between the fear of the unknown vs. the expectation that change will open the door to something better.  

So, what kind of cat are you?

A curious cat who accepts uncertainty as today's new normal and eagerly explores the opportunities on the other side of the door? 

A cautious cat who tests the waters to make sure it's safe to venture through the open door?

Or, a scaredy cat who hides, in what they think is a safe place, until forced to accept the reality that their world has changed?   

And, what kind of cats are you surrounded by in your work life and personal life? 

Whatever your answer, my next blog on Mastering Uncertainty will address limited thinking that makes it difficult to follow Helen Keller's advice to focus more on the door that change has opened instead of the door that change has closed.  

Please feel free to forward this and future blogs to your friends.