This article is part of Finding the Words, a newsletter that delivers practical insights on the day’s issues.

This week, America ushered in its 47th president. In the 24 hours that followed, President Trump signed a record-breaking number of executive orders—more than any other president on a first day in office. While the potential impacts of some orders remain vague, and others will be challenged in court, the message is clear: change has arrived.

Since November 5, I've heard one question asked more than any other: What will this mean for us? The question often comes in confidence from a leader considering the effect this new Administration's policies will have on their business, community, and work.

Considering this question—and the slew of new orders—I'm reflecting on the balance between short-term change and long-term progress.

Do you plan on standing by to see what happens in the short term? Or are you readying yourself to take actions that support positive long-term change in the pockets where you can affect that change?"

As I wrote about last week, it's about what we choose to do with what we have.

Andy Kim is a good example of this. As one of just six new Democrats recently sworn into the US Senate, Kim says politics was not his original trajectory (microbiology was). He chose to pursue national security and, ultimately, civil service after 9/11.  Kim, who won Bob Menendez's former Senate seat, is a new face with a new approach. Here's what he said to Audie Cornish on The Assignment about what this moment could mean:

"We are in a new era of politics, and the next 4-5 years will shape the next four to five decades. That's the bulk of my kids' lives, shaped by what's to come. So, I felt an urgency of now that I wanted to respond to."

An urgency of now. I suspect you feel it, too.

This past weekend, hundreds of Americans shared their inner thoughts about Donald Trump's return to office in The New York Times. The responses were connected by signs of optimism, hope, wonder, fear, concern, and cynicism.

Our respective backgrounds and experiences inform how we see this time and how we predict what's to come. However, our character and leadership influence what we choose to do about it. Like Kim, we can choose to come to this new day willing to work through the change, or we can bury our eyes under a hat.

Every day brings with it opportunity. You choose what to do with it. 

You can choose to lead.

• In service of your values.

• In service of your community.

• In service of kindness and compassion.

And you can choose to lead in this way, regardless of other circumstances. It's about what we choose to do with what we have.

Bottom line: Rather than asking, "What does this change mean for us?" consider asking, "What can my leadership in this changing time mean to others?" and then, be that change.

This post is part of the Finding The Words column, a series published every Wednesday that delivers a dose of communication insights direct to your inbox. If you like what you read, we hope you’ll subscribe to ensure you receive this each week.