As is the case with many towns in Ohio, it’s construction season in my hometown.  Roads that have been in disrepair, are going to be worked on and (eventually) improved.  One road near my home is going to have unused railroad tracks removed.  It’s going to be great…long term.

In the short term, however,  it is going to be a mess!  There will be more dirt, bigger holes, re-routing, confusion and pain.  At some point, all of us (myself included) will exclaim “Ah!  This is such a pain!”   

It occurs to me that this is the case with nearly any major change.  Whether we are talking about a new exercise regimen, a new accounting program, learning a new language, marketing CRM, or fixing potholes, major change requires us to be ready to put up with aggravation.  There will be stumbles, setbacks and frustration.  It comes with the territory.  We must push through a time of inconvenience to get to the shiny new road.

This doesn’t mean we should avoid change.  Quite the contrary.  But it is important to understand that there will be challenges along the road.  It won’t make them less annoying (in the short term), but it probably will make us more understanding during the process.