Life is messy. If yours isn’t, then wait awhile. It’s just life. We know that stuff happens and that some things are impossible to imagine, let alone prepare for.
My third principle for a better life is to Disrupt Yourself. Choosing change, choosing disruption allows you to practice. You wouldn’t run a marathon without training, and sometimes the changes that arrive unannounced can feel as tough as those 42 kilometres. I know!
Actively choosing change offers reassurance that you’ll be better prepared.
Three things happen when you disrupt yourself.
You have a greater sense of control. In cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), a common strategy to manage panic attacks is to induce one. It sounds terrifying, but just knowing that you can bring it on, gives you confidence that you have the power to end it. Choosing change is a powerful way to affirm that you are in the driver’s seat of your life.
That leads to the second point. I often hear people exclaim that they could never handle such-and-such a situation. And yet when it comes, they invariably do. You are far more able than you think. Look at your strengths. Where are you good under pressure? Do you know your capabilities? Most of us under-estimate our capacity to adapt to change. Disrupt yourself and see what happens.
And finally, choosing change means we have choices. Very few decisions are irreversible, and yet the fear of making the wrong one can keep us stuck. Examining all the options is a start, but unless you have a go, you’ll never know. Your brain loves variety so it will thank you for the exercise. But unless you take action, those possibilities will turn to regrets.
Go on then. This week I challenge you to say Yes, where last week you might have said No.