Change Your Focus, Focus For Change

"It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change." - Charles Darwin

Change is an unavoidable constant in our lives. Sometimes portions of the change that happens are controllable, but often it is not. In the workplace, our job roles change, processes change, or systems change. In life, circumstances change, our environment around us changes. We are forced to see things differently, do things differently and adjust and adapt to changes as they occur.

Research has shown that those who are happiest in old age are the ones who have dealt most successfully with the changes in their lives. Learning to accept and adapt to change is the skill of a lifetime. And because there is never a shortage of changes for us to face, we should have plenty of opportunities to practice our adaptive skills and even get proficient with them.

We have already faced so many changes in our lives. In this year alone, think of all the things we have had to endure and adapt to. Which changes have I handled well? And what can I learn from these experiences to help me deal with change in the future? When we take the time to reflect and review how we handled a situation, good or bad, we can recognize ways to adjust to future change and or know what we should do differently.

There are also other things we can do to help us adapt easier and take advantage of change as it occurs.

Don't take things so seriously.  Now I'm not talking about brushing things off as non-important, acting recklessly, or putting yourself in dangerous situations. I'm saying try to lighten the mood for yourself and those around you. Finding humor in the situation is an excellent way to create fun while still trying to come up with a solution. This could help you see things from a different perspective. It will help the others around you adapt as well.

Focus on the problem itself, not the feelings you are getting as a result of the problem. Sometimes when we lament and focus on our frustrations, fear, or anger towards something, it creates more frustrations, fear, or anger. I believe there is a time and place to talk about those things as well because that helps your ability to cope differently and get those feelings off your chest. But when you are genuinely trying to solve the problem itself, zero in on the problem itself. Try to think of practical solutions about what you can do next. This can help you categorize it and break it down into solvable pieces. How can you handle this one step at a time?

Try not to compound your stress about the situation. In other words, don't stress out about stressing out. Understanding stress and the effects and role stress plays is very important. What we believe about stress matters. Understand that stress can be both good and bad for us, depending on how we understand it and what we believe. It can literally kill you, cause health problems, or create more significant problems. Or, it can motivate you, it can carry you through, it can prompt you to take action, and help you to become stronger. It's our perceptions of stress that can help us use it to our advantage. Stress can be a good thing if we choose to see it that way.

Try to approach everything with a purpose and on purpose. First, ask yourself 'why.' Why do you do what you do? Why do you do things the way that you do? What is the meaning and feeling it gives you? Why does it drive you to do something? What is its purpose; your why? Then, try to figure how to act on purpose or intentionally. There is a difference between having good intentions to taking action intentionally.

Focus on the present. Learn from the past. Be inspired for the future. But focus on the now. The only time you can truly take action and make a difference in something is happening right now. Accept the fact that change happens and learn to choose to do something about it now. You have the power to decide and the power to act. It's not what happens to you that makes the difference; it's how you respond and what you decide to do about it that makes the difference.

Learn to expect the unexpected. The only constant is change itself. And we know that. If we know that change will happen, we can position ourselves to be more prepared for it when it does. Learning to master our ability to adapt to it can actually lead to a happier and more fulfilled life. Control what you can control. Your thoughts, your beliefs, your responses, your decisions, and your actions. Choose to make a difference.

Make today great!

Curtis

"If you want to change your results, don't focus on changing your behaviors. Change your focus to the beliefs that drive your behaviors." - John Assaraf