Managing Change
Repeated bouts of adversity are an unavoidable aspect of human existence. We
battle against our inner struggles or outer world forces, and in many cases, we
emerge on the opposite side of struggle stronger and better equipped to cope
with the challenges yet to come. However, we can occasionally encounter trials
that seem utterly hopeless. We strike at them with all of our creativity and
perseverance, hoping desperately to bring about change, only to meet with the
same results as always.
Our first instinct in such situations is often to push harder against the seemingly immovable obstruction before us, assuming that this time we will be met with a different outcome. But staying power and stamina net us little when the same choices consistently garner the same results. A change in perspective, behavior, or response can do so much more to help us move past points where no amount of effort seems sufficient to overcome the difficulties
before us.
Whether our intention is to change ourselves or some element of the world around
us, we cannot simply wish for transformation or hope that our lives will be
altered through circumstance. If our patterns of thought and behavior remain
unchanged, our lives will continue to unfold much as they have previously.
Patterns in which fruitless efforts prevail can be overcome with self
examination and courage. It is our bravery that allows us to question the
choices we have made thus far and to channel our effort into innovation. Asking
questions and making small adjustments to your thought processes and behaviors
will help you discover what works, so you can leave that which does not work
behind you. To break free from those unconscious patterns that have long held
sway over your actions and reactions, you will likely have to challenge your
assumptions on a most basic level. You must accept once and for all that your
beliefs with regard to cause and effect may no longer be in accorda!
nce with your needs.
Stagnation is often a sign that great changes are on the horizon. Courting the
change you wish to see in yourself and in the world around you is a matter of
acknowledging that only change begets change. The results you so ardently want
to realize are well within the realm of possibility, and you need only step away
from the well-worn circular path to explore the untried paths that lie beyond
it.
Adapted from Today's DailyOM
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