The past few months, we’ve been discussing various strategies and techniques for setting and achieving goals. As we close the first quarter of the year, I’d like to switch gears a bit and discuss the value of embracing change.
I think it’s safe to say the past year has been rife with change for just about all of us. Remote work, virtual meetings, home schooling, mask wearing, social distancing...after adjusting to these concepts becoming commonplace over the past 12 months, things are changing yet again, as many places around the world are lessening restrictions and beginning to open back up.
For example, the mayor here in Jacksonville, FL recently lifted the mask mandate for our town. So as we’ve finally started getting used to wearing a mask and staying 6 feet apart, we’re now having to get used to another new standard of no masks and no social distancing. Regardless of where you stand on these practices, adjusting to something that is different than what we’re used to can be difficult.
Humans are creatures of habit. We inherently resist change, but change is inevitable. We can’t control what some of the changes we face are, but what we can control is our attitude towards said changes. We can start embracing change by viewing things from a different perspective and letting go of the negative mindset we have regarding whatever change we are facing. When we’re aware of those negative views, we can put a stop to those thoughts and start reframing the situation into something less daunting. Once we do this, we begin to approach it with a more positive mentality. And there are numerous benefits to positive thinking, such as increased immunity, improved wellness, better resilience, and lower stress levels.
BONUS: As an added bonus, research has found that people who have a positive outlook are 31% more productive than those who are negative and stressed.