This month, author and Art of Resilience event host Ted Kuntz has generously adapted and shared an essay from his book How Can I Wake Up When I Don’t Know I’m Asleep?

The Art of Resilience:
Managing Change


One of the keys to being resilient is to manage change.

How we respond to the unpredictability of change is key to our happiness and future success. It is not uncommon to respond to change with fear and trepidation. Many respond to the change by resisting the change. A better response might be to identify strategies that enable us to move through change with grace and purpose, rather than fear and resentment.

Below are a number of ideas and strategies that might assist in moving through a period of change more successfully. I anticipate that every one of the speakers presenting at the Art of Resilience will embody these ideas and strategies.

1. Accept the Change.

Resisting the change will not alter the course or the speed of change. It will however alter us into individuals who are angry and resentful.

Successful people not only accept the change, they embrace the change. They see change as an ally rather than an adversary. Change can be a catalyst for growth and innovation. It can create the openings and opportunities needed to enable us to re-create our life and our society in better and healthier ways.

2. Participate in the Change Process.

Research informs us that those who participate as an active agent in change are healthier and happier than those who sit back and wait for others to decide how to respond to the change.

Look for ways you can participate in creating new ideas and actions during this time of transformation. Look for opportunities to use the transformational power of change to create a better world. Become a 'creator' rather than a 'reactor'.

3. Look Where You Want to Go. 

Look for the openings that change provides. A number of years ago I worked with an individual who was involved in professional racing. This individual shared with me the strategy a racecar driver uses in the event their car goes out of control. He explained the driver "looks for an opening in the field of cars". By doing so the car moves toward the opening.

Most people look at the walls or obstacles. By doing so they move toward the walls or drive into the obstacles. His advice is to "look where you want to go".

4. Be Positive.

We can do this! Henry Ford understood that - "Those who think they can and those who think they can't are both right."

Focus on changing your reaction to change. How you respond to change is key to your success. Viktor Frankl, author of Man's Search for Meaning (1988) states:"When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves."

Move into the change with optimism.

5. Build Collaborative Relationships. 

Research indicates that what keeps people safe is dependent upon the number of relationships a person has. The greater the number of relationships, the safer an individual is. The fewer relationships, the more vulnerable the individual is. During times of upheaval and uncertainty it is important to invest time and energy in building relationships.

Every successful business knows that innovation is essential to its survival. They also know that the more individuals who participate in generating solutions the more likely a successful outcome will be achieved. A group’s IQ is higher than an individual’s IQ.

As I enter into a time of change and uncertainty I follow the advice shared on a bumper sticker I recently saw: The best way to predict the future is to create it.

Visit Ted's website to learn more about his life's journey. Check out and/or purchase Ted's books HERE.



Spring into the power and ART OF RESILIENCE with Ted and your community of friends and advocates, in Toronto on Thursday April 19, 2018.

Join us for our second annual P4P live event featuring a diverse and very awesome group of speakers sharing their stories and unique perspectives on all things resilience.  

Check out this year's speaker lineup HERE!