There are few things in life that capture our attention so forcefully than an unexpected transition. Now to be fair, life transitions and changes can be wonderful things, especially when they’re part of our master life plan. Transitions are part of life and indicate growth. These can include graduations, promotions, bar mitzvahs, etc., and are milestones worthy of celebrating. But the ones I’m talking about here are the ones that seem to come straight out of left field and catch us with our pants down.
We’ve all experienced these unexpected turn of events in our lives, some of us more than others. There’s really no way to completely be shielded from being affected from some sort of a crisis, big or small, not unless you choose to disconnect from life. I do find interesting the lessons that can be learned from these disruptions.
So far, this is what I’ve learned:
It starts in your mind. This is where most people get tripped up. No, I’m not suggesting you’re imagining things or that what you’re going through isn’t real. Your mind has a nasty habit of blowing things out of proportion. It always seems/feels/looks worse than it really is. Take a step or two back and grab a macro view of what you’re going through. Getting the proper perspective and accurately identifying the problem is an excellent starting point.
You are more resourceful than you think. You might not have all the answers or have all the capabilities, but once you take a quick inventory, you’ll see that you have more than you thought you did. You’ll also find that the areas where you lack, you can locate or know someone who can be a resource. In this age of inter-connectivity, there’s no reason why you couldn’t find what you need. People love to help, if you let them. This also has the added benefit of strengthening your existing relationships.
You already have the solution. You really do, you just don’t realize it when you’re all stressed out. It’s like when you know someone’s name, but for some reason you can’t recall it. You put yourself in a position to see the solution after you’re able to gain clarity of mind. Stressing, freaking out, or getting pissed off is a surefire way of keeping the solution at bay.
It’s a blessing in disguise. Cliché aside, you’ll find most times that after all is said and done, you see greater opportunities that you hadn’t noticed before. Looking back, you’ll be able to point to your circumstance and laugh or share your story with others who might be going through a similar situation.
When you go through enough of these transitions and unexpected challenges successfully, you can’t help but gain a certain measure of confidence that cannot be gained by simply reading about other people’s experiences. Give it a try next time you find yourself in a situation.
I’d be interested to see what you’d add to the list based on your experiences as well!
By: Randy Thio @ideabloke
