Just like the David Bowie song says, "Turn and face the...ch-ch-ch-changes" my wife Roslyn and I made some big changes to our lives over the summer.

While it's the story of my life to be unconventional and daring with decision making - this change has seen some raised eyebrow responses from friends and family alike.

My wife and I just went through the process of selling our dream home. While we loved absolutely everything about it, without our daughters there to occupy it with us, it was beginning to feel a little empty. There were rooms and bathrooms I hadn’t seen in seven years (that’s less of an exaggeration than you may think!) So, after much deliberation, we decided to make the move.

When we told our friends and family members what we had decided, they reacted exactly the way we expected them to; they nodded understandingly and asked (as if they already knew the answer), “Downsizing?” To which we replied, “No, we’re right-sizing.”

“Downsizing” holds a negative connotation — like we’re moving to a lesser place. But nothing could be further from the truth! Our dream home wasn’t right for us anymore — but that doesn’t mean we won’t find another place that fits our needs just as well, if not better, than the first.

I received the same negative response when I told my family and friends (especially my CPA and lawyer buddies) back in 1998 that I was leaving the “cushy” corporate world to help people with IRS Problems. They said, “Why in the world would you want to do that? How are you ever going to get paid from people who can’t even pay their federal taxes?” I replied, “Up-front or at least before their case settles, of course,” which is exactly what I did and what I teach now.

We quickly realized that making a big change, while scary, would ultimately end up making us happier than we were before. But then we did something even scarier. Rather than buying a new house, we decided to rent for a year while we searched around for the perfect place.

It’s a little unconventional (the story of my life!), and it’s not what our friends and family members expected from us, but just because we’re going about the process a little differently doesn’t mean we’re not doing it “right.” In fact, we’re pretty sure that doing things differently will get us even better results.

The same principles about change and rightsizing can be applied to you and your practice.

If you’re thinking about making a big change to your practice, or are doing something a little out of the ordinary in your marketing — do it! Sometimes just getting outside your comfort zone, doing something outside of your standard routine, or changing things up a little bit is all you have to do to gain a new perspective and experience a breakthrough!

Take Carletta Price CPA, for example — she’s one of our members. She decided to do something a little different by sending her clients a Roz Strategies referral letter and a 100 percent dedicated tax resolution brochure. Sure, it’s a little outside of her normal routine, and a little outside of the ordinary, but you can bet that when those referrals start pouring in, she won’t regret taking the extra time to make that change.

Progress is impossible without change and transition. Whether you’re making a big change like selling your dream home and renting a house, or a small change like sending your clients and external sources a referral letter, it can be scary, but it’s almost always worth it.

This month, as you go about your daily routine, make some time to step outside of the box and do something different. That change, no matter how small, could be the key to your success.