The only guarantee in life is change.
Sherre Webb
Everything Changed
Imagine going to sleep after a long day’s work, waking up the next morning only to realize that everything had changed. Nothing looks or feels as it once did.
Sure, you woke up in the same bed you laid down in the night before; and yes, upon walking into the kitchen, bathroom, or family room, the rooms appear to be the same as they were the night before except now, it feels different.
No longer are you going from room to room, completing one task after another in an effort to make it to the morning meeting at work. No longer are you going down the checklist of school items to ensure that your son or daughter have what they need to have a successful day at school.
Much of what was available yesterday is no longer as easily accessible as it was just one day ago. All of a sudden your entire life has been interrupted with change. Everything has changed.
We don’t have to imagine it because the entire world in experiencing this in real time and it has forced us into a new reality that none of us could have prepared for.
The thing that gives me a sense of relief is knowing that I am not facing this new world alone. We are, for once, in this together. Not just you or me, but the entire world. How amazing is that?
For the first time in history, people from all over the world realize how connected we are, no matter the borders that separate one country from another, or your city from mine.
Whether the beginning of your region and the end of mine is separated by water or land, we see now [because everything has changed], that we can all have very similar experiences no matter what part of the world we live in.
Here are some sudden changes that I personally experienced. These changes seemed to occur overnight. Maybe you can relate.
- Inability to find simple essential products at the local stores (i.e. toilet paper)
- Freedom to go anywhere at anytime
- Lack of in-person human interaction
- Loss of income or job
- Wearing a face mask when out in public
- Constantly disinfecting everything…and I mean everything
- Ramping up my online presence for business
- Working from home
- Going out to different events and/or venues for personal enjoyment
What do you do when everything changes, seemingly overnight, drastically interrupting your life? When life happens on this level, change your perspective by changing your mind. This is turn, will change your life and the journey won’t seem so daunting. When life changes, you must renew your mind and transform into a better version of yourself.
If you were already on your way to taking your life to the next level, hopefully you had created habits that equipped you to weather this storm. If not, then it’s imperative that you begin to develop the skills and habits that will prepare you for our ever-changing world. Now is the time to take action in these areas of development in your life in order to come out on the other side even stronger.
Change Your Mind
When everything in your world suddenly changes, brace yourself, because now you must change. For many, this is very hard to do, especially if they had not mentally prepared for such a change as the one we are experiencing today. This is why it is crucial to constantly work on improving your mindset.
I know it’s been hard to deal with this pandemic. At times, I, myself have sat here thinking deeply about what my next steps should be. What I want to tell you is that everything is going to be okay. The important thing to know is that you must keep going.
If you haven’t been satisfied with the results you have been getting in your life thus far, now is the perfect time to make a decision to change that reality. Start planning what you want your life to look like from this point and moving forward. Start creating the life you really want to experience.
I can’t think of a better time than right now to start or continue working on improving your mindset.
Here are some ways that you can start working on this process:
- Write down what you want (this is when you can let your imagination roam freely)
- Write down how and when you are going to get what you want (this is your plan)
- Start taking action
I think sometimes we want things to come easy because we haven’t conditioned our minds to understand this basic truth about life: nothing rewarding is just handed to you without first giving; without first planting a seed and consistently working to cultivate the desired results.
The truth is that in some way, we all experienced the scenario I presented in the beginning of this article. It was like one day we went to sleep and woke up to entirely different world. It seemed like everything was okay yesterday, but overnight everything changed. Literally.
As humans we don’t like change, especially sudden change. If it’s a change that happens over time we can deal with that, but oh…when the change comes quickly, our minds sometimes can’t handle that type of change and don’t easily adjust.
We imagine the impending danger or unforeseen results that can come from such an intense change. The truth is that our imagination has the ability to create worst-case scenarios that we usually never experience.
I can not emphasize enough the importance of making sure you guard your mind against negativity, cynicism, or people who carry this type of energy. If you don’t, when things change, you will struggle with changing your mind in a healthy manner.
Embrace Change
I am here to encourage you that you can still win if you embrace change instead of resisting it. Let go of the past. It is what holds so many of us back; constantly living and feeling in the past will keep you stuck and unable to adjust to the present, or able to prepare for the future. And I’m not saying it is easy because for some of us this is, indeed, a very difficult feat to overcome. Even for those who adjust to change easily, this type of change can be hard to adjust to. Remember I said it can be hard, not impossible.
Anything is possible when you believe in yourself. It is important to hold onto your faith, your hopes, as well as your dreams, and to keep on keeping on.
Is there something that you have always wanted to accomplish, but up to this point have not done so? Now is the time to start working on that thing. If you had plans for the future that have been severely interrupted (which is the case for the majority), it is time to stretch your mind and start thinking outside the box. Figure out ways to still accomplish your goals. Your goals don’t have to change; however, the route that you must take may have to.
Changing your life is hard work. Here are some steps you can take that will create lasting change:
- Make a decision that you are going to change your life. Make a commitment to yourself to do the work
- Do the exact opposite of whatever you have been doing that has not been moving you forward in life
- Make a list of the things you need to stop doing
- Create a list of the habits you need to develop that will eventually become life rituals
- Consistently work on ridding yourself of the old and developing the new (this includes habits, ways of thinking, and even some people that you associate with)
- Check your progress every 30, 60, or 90 days to see if you are growing. If not, make the necessary adjustments and continue improving
- Never stop working on yourself
Change Your Perspective
From personal experience, I have found this to be the single most helpful approach to dealing with difficult realities. When life happens, as it sometimes does without discrimination, people usually respond in one of the following 3 ways:
- They react, letting their emotions get the best of them
- They begin to take action immediately to remedy the situation
- They go into survival mode and simply try to maintain
In most cases, people respond emotionally without thought because it is the way they have always responded and don’t know anything different. I was totally guilty of doing this during a period of my life. I would think the worst, play out the entire scenario, giving it the worst possible outcome, and literally freak myself out. Usually the story in my head didn’t play out to its entirety, but had I changed my perspective to one of seeing the possibilities, the outcome could have been much better.
Unfortunately, for me [at that time], and for those of you that respond to crisis in this manner, this type of reaction will only make the situation worse (or shall I say, it will only make you worse). This is because having a worse-case scenario mindset leaves absolutely no room for options to present themselves as solutions.
Now, in some cases this type of immediate emotional response is absolutely normal, as in the case of the death of a loved one, but most often, people respond according to how they feel. Sadly, some stay stuck in that feeling instead of stepping back, taking a birds eye view of the situation in order to be able to see how the situation can best be handled.
When you change your perspective it makes all the difference in the world. The perspective you have on the unfavorable life happenstances will also speak volumes about your current mindset.
Are you a negative person, but have been unaware that you have been carrying that demeanor? Or are you the type of person that looks at the same scenario and tries to figure out what opportunities life presents?
The important thing to always keep in mind is that change is coming, and it is a guarantee that you can bet money on because it’s going to happen. More importantly are the steps you take when life deals you a hand that sucks. Those steps should be taken in a way that help set you up to be in a better position to deal with the hand that life has dealt you. This means being better prepared emotionally, spiritually, financially, and mentally.
You must believe you can come out on the other side better in all aspects because not only is change coming, change is already here.
Do you have a thought you would like to share? Leave a comment below. I would love to hear from you.
