What is it about change?

Maybe it is an age thing. As I move along through this life I find that I am not as willing to embrace change as I once was. I meet new people everyday through my day job and find that I can tolerate their short comings less and less. I am able to tell others what they are doing wrong far more readily than I am willing to listen to someone tell me the same about myself. I am slowly watching people I know and love move in different directions and I am less and less sure how to help them achieve their dreams. Change is everywhere, it is constant, funny enough, and it is damning as the final test for the adroit mind. Am I one of the damned?
I find myself sitting down to write this at a time when I am inundated with challenges. Both professional and personal. The professional ones are interesting and complex, and the personal ones are simple and straight forward. So what's the problem you ask? The solution seems simple, ask for help with the professional challenges and deal with personal ones. Ahhh, were it soo easy. The devil, as it were, lies in the details. The professional challenges must be met alone, or else someone may relate the challenges I face to one in authority and either they or their superior may find it disheartening to see their employee having trouble with something they may see as simple. The personal challenges simply terrify me. Then again, the prospect of being alone for the forseeable future drives people to do many strange things. So I am not alone in this challenge. Now you maybe asking, where does change come into all of this? I state simply that change is at the heart of it, but let me explain a little further.
Starting with the professional challenges, since they are the ones I better understand. Change forces new policies and new procedures. It is assumed that everyone will automatically adopt the new policies and procedures and those who don't are expected to come around eventually or leave. Now obviously the technological side of the changes do not scare me. I find technology comforting since I have a good idea of how it works and where it came from. My only real fear is when someone with little to no know how is given too much power and authority thanks to technology. I know, that sounds like most middle managers, but let's be honest, it is the executive who want to track all of your actions and productivity and in so doing removes the possibility for creativity and independence since, while it does bring innovation, more often brings lost revenue and wasted time. I mean we can't all be a Jeff Besos or Charles Branson afterall. Time is money and money is how you grow and also how you keep score in the corporate rat race. Again, that kind of score card does not bother me, Iunderstand it and yes, where it comes from. What has me perplexed is the people. I sit around and watch other around me get promotions to positions that I am confident I can do better then they can. I knwo their skills and limitations and see they as catastrophic failures in their new roles. Then I find out that the same is thought of me. Touche! The real question is how do I combat something like that? How do I get the chance to prove I can do it better and with less drama? I know, the advice I am often given is "baby steps", start small and work your way up. And here comes the main problem. Wait for it. On second thought don't, the issue is that Iam tired of the waiting game and tired of being passed by. I have proven I can do the work, and manage the people. My judgement is sound as often if not more often then the existing leaders. I am skilled, knowledgable and, dare I say, adroit. Or am I?
Let's move on to the personal for a moment. As a young man Iwas encouraged to not judge but use my judgement to stay out of trouble. As an adult, I choose which trouble I wanted to get in to and which was not worth the effort. As a soon to be senile old fart, okay, not too soon but I guess middle aged would best describe me, I find myself throwing caution to wind and getting into trouble now by choice. Partially because I can deal with it and prtially because I am not sure and just a little afraid that I can't. Let me tell you, you quickly come to terms with how much of the scared little boy is still living in your head when trouble rears up in front of you and your mentl calculation looks something like this. "Trouble 1, Me -5, should have done more sit ups." Now I am sure alot of you have noticed that I am being vague when it comes to the personal issues I referred to earlier, the reason for this is I trying to reconcile the philosophy the matter before I move on to the chanllenge itself. While I am confident that there is a decent answer, I am not confident on how to get to that answer, hence this post. So what I am asking again is am I adroit? Or was I ever?
Does one define an adroit mind as one open to change? Or is one that is very comfortable in it's own sandbox as it were? Am I fretting over something that should not concern me? The use of the term challenge has permeated this post. The reason for that is because I conciously choose not to accept anything I wrote here as insurmountable or unattainable. You'll notice that I even postulated that the personal challenges had a "decent" answer. I find that those who become "swamped" or "over worked" have already lost because they are not able to see success or accomplishment in their chosen path. So yes "Trouble 1, Me -5" but I can still see me winning somehow, or at least coming out to a convincing draw. Now I am not pushing anything soo poetic as personal visualization, but belief has to be present.
Here are a few thoughts. Baby steps need not be taken by or planned out by baby's. I can move forward at an adult pace and in adult steps, but one step at time maybe prudent, with the odd jump forward for excitment. Professional challenges are less about being professional and more about making the challenge disappear through management, of a manager for example, or by making the challenge fall on the right desk. I have been know to pick the wrong the fight, and one of my new year's resolutions was to better choose the battles I fight this year. So far, I am batting about 3/4 in favour of that resolution. Better than last year. And finally, Personal challenges, they are difficult because like a doctor diagnosing himself, you never really see the person looking in the mirror. I have a lot to learn and a lot to think about. Maybe you do too, I'd hate to think I m in this alone. One thing I do know, this post has helped me change my mimd a little, and that's a start anyway.

Holla!