Change Is Underrated

In General | 25 comments | permalink

I believe it was the singer Cheryl Crow who said “a change will do you good”, and by crikey, how right she was.

During the weekend, I reaquainted myself with my best friends in the UK, and we went out for the night in Manchester.

The following day my career was mentioned, and one of my friends found videos on the Internet of people claiming to be Dean Hunt, then he found an article I wrote for the UK’s leading newspaper.

To which he said “Dean, you have changed”, in a negative tone.

Now, I know that mainly he was joking, but I also know there was more to it than that, you see…

people don’t like change!

It makes them uncomfortable, and it un-nerves them.

Yes, I have changed, I am earning a LOT more than I used to, I am globally successful, I travel the world first class, and I am renown and respected in one of the toughest industries on the net. I have built an amazing house, learnt a new language, moved to a new country, bought two cars, bought a dog, overcome numerous obstacles and had more life experience in the past 5 years than the previous 21 combined.

At first I was a little defensive, a voice in my head was saying “I haven’t changed, look, it is still me, I am the same, honestly I am”.

But then I realised, I have changed, and thank god I have!!! There is no need to be ashamed of changing, especially when it is a hugely popular change.

Afterall, the alternative of change would be to have stood still, and that would have been a far greater insult. To stand still, to stagnate, to rot… what a waste of time itself.

Listen, if your life is close to perfect, then fair enough, there is no need to change… but if not, then why fear it?

People don’t like you to change, especially friends and family. They like you to be in your little pigeon hole where they know exactly where you are and what you are doing.

So my advice to everyone reading this is simple: Look for change, embrace change and make change happen. What’s more, if people are not complaining then you haven’t changed enough.

Dean

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25 COMMENTS

  • dare

    I will be honest here. You changed for positive, that’s the good part.

    The bad part is that you’re loosing your originality. You’re becoming much like those asshole marketers who look to sell you everything and their blogs look like sales pitch. Disgusting.

    Don’t forget why people choose you, because you were original, give value. Don’t fall into the ‘promotional water’ and make your blog one more huge dumb sales pitch.

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  • http://www.richbeyondwords.com Claudia

    Dean, I couldn’t agree more with you.

    In my opinion (and my opinion is never humble) change is the essence of life.

    Remember that movie with John Belushi where every day was the same old, same old until he changed?

    And like you I’m thrilled to bits that I have changed. God I’m glad not thinking the blues anymore.

    And what made the blues so scary was that old people that were living the blues could sing them well!

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  • http://www.lipstickandthongbook.com Courtney A. Walsh

    Change is truly part of life and not changing is the fastest route to death.

    Keep ‘em guessing, Dean.

    Your response next time someone wants to make you squirm by ‘accusing’ you of changing?

    “I bloody well hope so!”

    Rock and change ON!
    ~Courtney
    http://www.lipstickandthongbook.com

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  • http://deanhunt.com Dean Hunt

    dare,

    What “sales pitch”?

    This was free advice, based on real-life examples that happened to me. If I was like the others, I would have charged you $995 upfront to let you read it.

    Please avoid talking nonsense in future.

    Gracias.

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  • http://imwithjoe.com JK Swopes

    I don’t know you personally, but I can relate! When we change from the people we were years ago, the people who knew us then tend to get defensive. That’s okay, I say live in the change and eventually they will get used to it. If not….well…I don’t know what to say.

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  • http://www.dianecossie.com Diane Cossie

    Dean for the record, well done on all your achievements, I read your Blog quite often and thanks to people like you and Michael Dunlop there are some positive young role models from the UK.

    If you replace the word “change” with “grow” you begin to see why you have changed. I remember something Bob Proctor said about change, he said that your friends and family are genuinely happy for you when you succeed in life and changes occur, but they don’t really want you to leave.

    Change is inevitable, self development however is an art.

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  • Alan Kirke

    Hey Dean,

    Interestingly when i gave up Drinking Alcohol(yes i do have a sob story but who really cares huh).

    I was a bricklayer long time ago,
    after the physical withdrawl symptoms and all that jazz.

    The hardest part i found was my friends as they only new me as Al the drinker.

    And having to create a new relationship with some never worked and some did.

    As in we still go to the pub they drink i have soda or tea. or we go and do other things than drinking eg golf, pool or just have a chat not a drunken ,pisshead ramble about nothin really.

    People change because they want to not because i want them to.

    Grassy Ass
    Al

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  • http://www.klaxxon.com Nick The Geek

    IMO, people don’t like change in other people, because it reminds them how lazy/apethetic/whatever they are.

    I’ve changed out of all recognition from the person I was 10 years ago, to the point if I met some of my friends who I grew up with, I can guarantee they’d be almost exactly the same – same thinking, same attitudes, same type of job (or same job), whinging about the same old thing.

    I don’t have time to listen to all that cr*p.

    I’d rather get up and get on.

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  • http://deanhunt.com Dean Hunt

    Nick,

    I couldn’t agree more.

    It is easier to bring people down to your level than to rise to theirs… that is why reality TV shows are so popular, we can all just judge people when secrelty, we don’t have the balls to do it ourselves.

    Dean

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  • http://top-10-internet-marketing-tips.blogspot.com Denise Clarke

    BRAVO!

    Growth is great, but intimidates many of those who are afraid to move out of their comfort zone. If you look back and think to yourself that your school years were the very best in your life … well, my friend, you need to get a life!

    Great blog!

    Denise

    http://top-10-internet-marketing-tips.blogspot.com

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  • http://www.4urworld.com teresa caldwell

    So much I have to say about this post, But not time tonight, I hope that your friends found the “I am Dean Hunt” Videos, entertaining at least. God they probably thought I was a dork. Oh well I am who I am. Why is it that Family and Friends don’t like it when we change or do something out of character? I still hope my husband and kids haven’t seen the Dean Hunt Videos I did, they will think I am in need of some professional help, but I wrote a post about change, and how things in life are always changing and I hope I never stop changing. I just hope everyone I care about doesn’t feel threatened by my change….but what they don’t know won’t hurt them. Hope they never judge me by my change in how I create things, from art to blogs…..it makes me feel alive, So be it.

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  • http://www.correctmindforweightloss.com/ David Maleney

    Just read your post from sunny Cala d’Or.

    Seeing as you are fluent in Spanish, how do I say “Sorry Spanish lady, I am happily married and you have a moustache” ;-)

    I have wired you the $995 and am still awaiting your response!

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  • Jan

    Hi Dean, you will never become ‘much like those asshole marketers’! ….. Those negative people probably have a few ‘hormone problems’.

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  • http://www.bigmarketingonline.com/largest-blog-contest-ever.html big jason 40k in Cash and Prizes

    excellent post, and I’m not sure what dare is taking right now but stay away from it!!!1

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  • http://www.AlchemyCorporation.com Jonathan

    Hey Dean

    Hah! What these black-hearted people really don’t like is that you have GONE PAST THEM.

    Here’s a 10 second true story for you:

    “You shouldn’t be spending so much time working on that book, instead you should be at home looking after your wife and baby.”

    ‘Friends’ of my business partner Marten would say this to him when he was at work in my studio at 5PM on a Tuesday helping to build what turned out to be a blockbuster best seller.

    Marten had 50% of it.

    I realised what was going on and pointed out to him that the real reason for their comments was that they did not want him to succeed and get ahead of them.

    A light bulb went on over his head I am glad to say. He ignored them all and succeeded far beyond expectations.

    (350,000 copies sold.)

    :-)

    Jonathan

    No matter how much you deserve it,

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  • http://www.AlchemyCorporation.com Jonathan

    By the way Dean, which new language did you learn?

    French?

    In which case I am dead envious – it’s a long term dream of mine to be able to speak that beautiful language.

    Maybe I should buy a “Rosetta Stone” language course.

    :-)

    Jonathan

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  • http://www.4urworld.com teresa caldwell

    Plus the friend that found the videos about people claiming to be Dean Hunt, was jealous because he didn’t have several people doing awesome videos claiming to be him. My videos weren’t high quality but the heart was there, there were some awesome videos that were “Oscar” worthy.

    Also the comment “The bad part is that you’re loosing your originality. You’re becoming much like those asshole marketers who look to sell you everything and their blogs look like sales pitch. Disgusting.”
    I don’t know what the hell dare is talking about, I have been given more good information from you at no cost at all, and I have paid for information that just talks in circles and never gets to the point, OMG you are so far from being one of those “asshole marketers” In fact I feel like I owe you so much. You have encouraged me, you have stimulated my creativity, and you have taught me how to step outside my comfort zone. I have come to consider you a mentor and friend. There is nothing about the way you present your blog or information from your experiments that even resemble and asshole marketer. There are so many examples I can point out, one is the post you made about WordPress, so much free information that helped a novice like me know how to set up my wordpress where it was seen by the search engines better. You are awesome Dean. I can’t say enough about that. I was proud to claim to be “Dean Hunt” in videos on YouTube.
    Dean You ROCK !!

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  • http://paperweightblog.wordpress.com Michael Henreckson

    I definitely agree that change can be a good thing, and the fear of change is almost always a bad thing. Here’s to flexibility!

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  • http://PcPundit.com Steve Henderson

    Sadly, if you really want to change, you also have to change your friends.

    Statistically, we are very reliably defined by our social circle. There is some subconcious process that goes on – adherence to group norms. Adherence is the price of acceptance. Non-adherence is frowned on because it makes the others feel uncomfortable.

    If you want to escape the ruts your friends have settled for, you have to make new friends who share and are comfortable with your new ambitions. You will then find it almost automatic to slip into the habit of achievement of those ambitions.

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  • Alan Who

    Consider this a compliment: You really are a fucker.

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  • http://www.connexted.com/blog Craig Dewe

    A very timely post for me Dean, as I sit here in New York and on my way back to New Zealand.

    I was feeling disappointed about going home, because I was enjoying myself in Spain. But I think about it in terms of the change it’s much more exciting.

    Funny how a little change of perspective can do you good.

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  • http://deanhunt.com Dean Hunt

    Craig,

    Great to hear from you, I hope all is well on your travels.

    Happy to have helped in some small way.

    Safe trip.

    Dean

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  • http://theconfidenceguyonline.com Steve Errey

    You’re clearly having a good time of it and change is an important part of that. Good for you.

    You’re right when you say that it’s important to embrace change and head out and look for it, and spot on when you say that being pigeon-holed in specific roles is a big reason why people don’t move forwards, but that’s more about what you expect people expect you to be.

    Always remember that the change has to mean something to you, otherwise what’s the point? Change for change’s sake can be as damaging to your self-confidence and self-esteem as staying still and ‘stagnating’.

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  • kirsty

    well, reading and taking an interest in all this on here… reading about your engagement not so many months ago makes me wonder why you never mention where ‘she’ is? Have you had enough of the spanish?

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  • jrandom42

    So what happens when change collides with your close relationships? Your spouse, children, family and friends have a hard time adjusting to the new you. Do you alter your changes to accomodate them, or do you let them go when they appear to interfere with the changes you make?

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