immigrants into a new time
Change means we are immigrants into a new time. There is no instruction manual. There are no clear signs on where to turn, or what to do. This truer in 2008 than in 2007. And this is truer today than it was yesterday.
You can take on this new reality in one of two ways. 1. The glass is half empty. 2. The glass is half full. The first option is a pretty natural reaction; a first thought. And that’s where you need to leave it if you don’t want to be bogged down in a swamp of negativity.
The only way you want to take on life’s new challenges is to take them on with a ‘glass half full’ attitude.
It’s not just about having a positive attitude. It’s about being able to imagine – to see – what lies before you in a whole new way. Steven Covey describes this as a paradigm shift. It’s a cognitive, mental shift. And if, after years in the same groove, your thinking has fallen into a bit of a mental rut, you need to RETHINK the way you think about your self and your career.
Raz Chorev Says:
Richard, I’m aware of the term ‘paradigm shift’. I find it incredibly difficult to do, though. Do you have any techniques you recommend, to help us see the half full glass?
Posted on December 8th, 2008 at 11:36 am
Richard Sauerman Says:
No techniques as such.
It’s more of an experience - an ‘event’.
So be sure to come along on the 16th.
Ricardo
Posted on December 8th, 2008 at 4:27 pm
Geoffrey Ellison Says:
Raz:
Keeping within the glass metaphor, here’s a couple of techniques:
1. When you’re looking at a hal full/empty glass, imagine pouring out half of what’s left. The point is that wherever you are now, you could always be worse off (and you can always imagine someone worse off) so although this is a negative concept, it helps make it easy to keep positivity.
2. Imagine if your half-full glass was half the size — then it would be completely full! The point is that wherever you are now, you can be completely happy and have everything you want if you are just willing to adjust your expectations.
3. Remember that your glass has been emptier in the past. Maybe its not as full as you’d like it to be, but its easy to imagine that its been gradually filling up over time. Perhaps it has taken years to reach halfway, or perhaps you had a full glass and recently lost half, but if you remember that overall it keeps on filling, that will help. After all you did start with an empty one when you were born!
Posted on December 13th, 2008 at 9:49 am