M.J. Ryan is the author of How to Survive Change . . . You Didn’t Ask For. This book was given to me by a colleague as our workplace has been going through some significant changes, as is pretty much everyone due to the COVID pandemic. It is available on Amazon and other book retailers.

I found the book to be well written, organized in a manner that makes sense and builds naturally throughout the book. Ryan uses a lot of examples from her own life and stories of others who have gone, or are going, through change to emphasize her points. The premise for the book can be found in this quote from page 4, “Knowing that you need to change, or even wanting to change, isn’t enough. Without rewiring your thinking and knowing what actions to take, all you get is wish and want and, often stuckness.” From this starting point, she begins to layout information about change and actual strategies for confronting and taking charge of change in your life.

Fundamental to coping with change is adopting a mindset that accepts that change is going to happen. Ryan states, “Even though most of us can’t know for sure when and how change will hit us, we can at least keep in our awareness the simple fact that it will. And at a more rapid pace than ever before in human history.” (p. 15) Her goal in writing the book is to equip the reader to become a Change Master. In story after story, she discusses how to accept change, how to expand your options, how to take action to take control, and strengthen adaptability. The stories are augmented with practical wisdom about how to accomplish these objectives and achieve Change Master status.

Ryan concludes her book with 20 quick tips for surviving change you didn’t ask for – all worth reading and each one speaking to a unique aspect of accepting, expanding options, taking action, and becoming more adaptable. I really enjoyed the book and definitely found some helpful information that has been immediately applicable in my own life, like: “…when we’re entering unknown territory, as much as possible we should seek out people and situations that challenge our assumptions. And be willing to ask dumb questions and give up on our most cherished ideas when a better one comes along.” (p. 121) Or, “one of the main rules of Change Mastery: forget blame, accept what is, and seek the best solution.” (p. 84).

So, I am happy to recommend this book to anyone who is dealing with change in their life, or will be dealing with it soon – so, yes, everyone.