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When change happens, even small change, it creates a ripple. It’s so important to ride that wave and embrace the momentum on your journey to change. But just because you’ve gained momentum, be careful not to make the mistake of leaving everything behind in your pursuit to move forward.
I’ve noticed a strange tension in the world. So many of us want things to change, say we need things to change, but as the saying goes, “Nothing changes ‘til you do.” In most cases, we either don’t know how or don’t want to go on that journey.
If you’re experiencing a case of “That’s not it,” take a pause to get aligned with yourself, your values, your goals, your interests/passion, etc. It’s not so much that knowing what you don’t want is a bad thing; it’s just that it’s not a full picture.
You’ve probably heard of the “Great Resignation,” but do you know about the “Great Reflection?” To achieve lasting, meaningful change and avoid slipping back into old patterns, it’s vital to pause, reflect, and think — not just about what you don’t want, but what you do want.
By learning to embrace chaos vs. trying and failing to tame it (an impossible task), we can move forward in more personally meaningful ways. Some theories in neuroscience actually suggest that our minds always operate at a “critical state,” which is like the brink of chaos, somewhere between randomness and order.
Knowing this, how do we start to work with chaos instead of against it?
Wearable health trackers capable of reporting on heart rate, physical activity, temperature, sleep patterns, and more are the latest example of two very human (sometimes oppositional) desires for autonomy and structure. With all of this incoming information, though, we can end up on autopilot, conforming to structure without question; and, in doing so, give up the very autonomy we crave.
The human mind is predisposed to getting trapped or side-tracked by easy, obvious solutions. We’re enamored by the “Idea of the Day” and can become stuck inside the message of a recently released book, a single quote, or the latest podcast. This is never more true than when our mental reservoirs are depleted.
Overwhelm breeds an unconscious (or conscious) need to unplug that can easily turn into a bit of mental laziness, which ultimately means we’re not tapping into our full potential to confront issues and solve problems.
In most cases, toxic positivity comes from a lack of understanding about how to respond to difficult or uncomfortable situations. It may even be an honest effort to make yourself or someone else feel better, but ultimately, it dismisses legitimate emotions instead of affirming them. Similarly, it dismisses legitimate barriers and obstacles.