Nothing like change to make one realize how much we're creatures of habit and prefer familiarity.

What was your initial reaction to this new template? Admittedly, it's not as nice as the old one, but changing the design to something simpler will allow more people to receive and read this newsletter. What hasn't changed: My passion, commitment and determination to help you start, run and market your business.

The greatest change I'll experience will be with the birth of our daughter next month. As for my business, I'm stepping out of my comfort zone in 2007 by hosting a variety of events, offering more programs, launching a co-written workbook, publishing a series of Marketing Expert interviews, and so much more.

Stay tuned as I keep you posted on all the changes.

How do you deal with change? What do you do when you're thrust into an undesirable and completely unexpected situation?

Do you, like Woody, tend to blame others or want to curl up in a fetal position, hoping the situation will fix itself? Or do you, like Buzz, try to remain positive and hopeful, searching for solutions, being resourceful and finding help from every available source?

You see, change in life and in business is inevitable. How you deal with change can greatly impact the time it takes to adjust, improve, endure or remedy the situation.

As I observed the differences between Buzz and Woody's attitudes and reactions to the same situation, it made me think about how to successfully deal with change:

• Remain positive. While easier said than done, attitude and perception really are everything. Think about what you can take away from the experience: have you learned something about yourself or someone else, have you discovered who your real friends are, could your loss mean someone worthy gained something? In any situation, you can usually find something positive to dwell on, and that will help you get through.
• Become resourceful. This is a perfect time to try something new, take a risk or look to places or people you normally wouldn't look to. Ask around, do research, test-try a new method. Leave no rock unturned and no corner uncovered in search of a solution. You'll usually find that the best ideas and solutions are found from the “edge” or at the “fringes” because most people won't take the time, won't make the effort or are too fearful to venture out.
• Ask for and accept help. Change can cause feelings of humiliation and fear. That doesn't mean you shouldn't reach out for assistance. The situation always looks worse when you're right in the middle of it. To others, however, it's just another day. Have you ever been in a position to help someone in need? Didn't it make you feel good? So, why deny someone else the opportunity to feel that good by allowing them to assist you in any way possible?

Are you dealing with change right now? Try one or all of these things and your situation may not seem so bad after all or you may discover that you can actually make it through on the other side, somewhat unscathed. Maybe in retrospect, you'll find that this change worked out for the best. After all, Buzz and Woody pulled through together, got home safely and ended up being best friends. May this be the case for you.

Copyright. Cristina Favreau. All rights reserved.

ABOUT CRISTINA
Cristina Favreau specializes in helping passionate and motivated service professionals who love what they do, but struggle with running and marketing their business. In these 3 areas, Cristina will help you: (1) discover simple ways to increase your visibility and credibility, (2) get more clients by identifying where you're stuck in the marketing cycle, and (3) get unstuck and regain momentum. To read more articles like this, visit her site at http://www.cristinafavreau.com/.

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*IVAA 5th Annual Virtual Summit
What does an entrepreneur do to avoid complete loss of momentum? How does one deal with transition periods? How does a new small business owner, who has not yet experienced momentum, gain forward moving action? What are immediate actions you can take to regain your momentum?
On January 12th at 3:00 p.m. Eastern, I'll answer these questions and more during my presentation How to Get Unstuck and Regain Momentum.
Details and registration here: www.vasummit.org/index-2006.htm

*BRPD Networking Event
Is one of your goals for 2007 to do more networking? What about clarifying your marketing message? When you answer the "So, what do you do?" question, do you get blank stares or lose your audience?
On January 17th at 7:00 p.m. Eastern, listen to Designing a Compelling 30-second Introduction, as I share my own successful recipe as well as some new tricks. But I won't be doing all the talking... After I've showed you how, you'll introduce yourself to the group, using your own compelling introduction.
This event is exclusively for registered users (members) of the BRPD, so please register to attend: www.businessresourcespodcastdirectory.com