Embracing Change: From Fear to Growth

This is the house I grew up in.

3609 Pamlico Circle, Norfolk, VA.

A modest house on a non-descript street in a military town. Certainly nothing glamorous or extravagant, but it was home.

On a cool spring morning in 1987, I stood on that little porch and hugged my oldest brother goodbye. My father was being transferred to his new post in Mississippi, and I was leaving everything I had ever known behind. My friends, my school, and even my oldest brother.

I hated my parents that day. I knew we had to go, that my dad had little choice in where the military sent him, but that knowledge did nothing to soften the blow I felt as our U-Haul pulled out of the driveway.

We moved to a small town in southern Mississippi that was nothing like Norfolk. I felt like an alien. My school in Norfolk had an enrollment of a couple thousand students. My new school housed a few hundred. In Norfolk, kids would ride their skateboard to school. At my new school, some rode horses. On the day we went to enroll, our car broke down right in front of the school, and every student walked by us and stared. Several pointed and laughed.

I hated my parents even more.

Within a few weeks, though, I found a little circle of friends. Fellow travelers. Guys who had also moved to this small town, mostly from New Orleans, who were struggling to adjust to the new place. We weren't the most popular clique in the school, but we weren't outcasts either. I had found my crew, and I was starting to settle in.

Today, some of those guys are still my closest friends. Even though we all moved away, we still talk regularly, and we make it a point to get together a couple times a year to catch up. I love them like family.

Since that day in '87 when we left Pamlico Circle, my life has taken a lot of turns. I've faced numerous changes that brought back the same pit I felt in my stomach as I said goodbye to my brother. I've been fired by one of my mentors. I've been through painful break-ups, and I've left more than a few porches on my journey to my current home in Texas.

Each change has felt like a disruption, an unwanted shift in my carefully constructed world. Yet, looking back, I realize that these moments of upheaval were actually pivotal in shaping who I am today.

Change is often uncomfortable, even painful. It disrupts our routines, challenges our comfort zones, and forces us to confront the unknown. But it’s also a powerful catalyst for growth and transformation. If we can embrace it, rather than resist it, we open ourselves up to new possibilities, opportunities, and experiences that we might never have imagined.

I learned this lesson the hard way, but it has stayed with me ever since. Moving to Mississippi taught me resilience. It taught me how to adapt, how to find common ground with new people, and how to make the best out of a situation that I didn’t choose. Most importantly, it taught me that change, while daunting, can bring unexpected and profound benefits.

In the business world, change is inevitable. Markets evolve, technologies advance, consumer preferences shift, and companies must adapt or risk falling behind. Embracing change means fostering a culture of innovation, encouraging flexibility, and being willing to take calculated risks. It means understanding that what worked yesterday might not work tomorrow, and that’s okay. What matters is our ability to pivot, learn, and grow.

For leaders, embracing change means more than just managing it—it means leading it. It involves inspiring your team to see change not as a threat, but as an opportunity. It’s about fostering a mindset that is open to new ideas, agile in the face of challenges, and optimistic about the future.

Reflecting on my own journey, I’m grateful for the changes I once dreaded. They’ve taught me to be adaptable, resilient, and forward-thinking. They’ve shown me that with every ending comes a new beginning, often filled with opportunities that I couldn’t have anticipated.

Today, my family and I are preparing for a move. We're not going far, but we're leaving a home that my daughter has lived in all her life. It's scary and it's exciting. As I prepare for that move, I’m reminded of that little porch in Norfolk and the anxious boy who stood on it. I’ve learned that while change can be scary, it’s also a powerful force that drives us toward growth and new possibilities. Embrace it, and you just might find that the life waiting on the other side is richer and more fulfilling than you ever imagined.