Disruptions and Transitions

At the beginning of this year, one of the words I chose to frame my year was DISRUPTION. Little did I know when I chose that word that it would raise its head and present itself so quickly and with such force.

When disruption shows up at your door it doesn’t knock and ask if it can come in. No, it kicks the door down and stands in the center of your living room with its head held high. Disruption is not considerate. It does not ask for your permission. Disruption isn’t aware of time – it comes and goes as it pleases. It doesn’t consider your current circumstance or comfort level. Disruption doesn’t care who it impacts or what kind of chaos it causes.

Disruption requires you to change and respond in ways that leave you feeling vulnerable and not totally in control of your life. Disruptions lead to and demand you to transition into something new.

For me, the disruption that recently arrived at my doorstep has come in the way of a new job. This week I’m in transition from a company I’ve thoroughly enjoyed to a new company that has me extremely excited about the future.

Ryan Holiday said, “Don’t be afraid to make a change, a big one.”

When you embrace disruption and change TRANSITION begins. And transition brings about its own unique experiences.

Even if the transition is a good one it will come with a variety of emotion. You might experience a level of depression as you leave behind relationships. It’s normal to be anxious as you transition into something new and in some cases unfamiliar territory.

Transition means one chapter or season of your life is ending and a new chapter or season is beginning. When you can mentally acknowledge and accept this you are in a much better place for the transition to go more smoothly.

Maintaining a positive attitude and looking at the transition as an opportunity for better things in your life is extremely important. You have to keep a vision for the good that the transition can provide. Having realistic expectations during a transition is also critical, don’t expect everything to go as planned. And while some circumstances are out of your control, your attitude and response are totally within your control.

When disruption comes into your life and transition happens to you, embrace it and look forward to the journey.

 

 

How Bad Do You Want Something New?

If You Want Something New

There are times in life when you have to make decisions, sometimes hard and at other times easy, to let things go. For your sake and the sake of others you have to say goodbye to a variety of things; people, relationships, a job, food or a hundred other things. You absolutely deserve to enjoy life and experience it to it’s fullest and the fact is, to do that, there are things you will have to say no too. You will have to put off things that might bring some quick satisfaction. You will have to do things that others don’t want too.

As Peter Drucker says, “If you want something new, you have to stop doing something old.”

This past week we said goodbye and so long to a van that had been a part of our family for seventeen years. That van had done everything from haul trailer loads of manure to transporting my wife to the hospital to give birth to our fifth baby. It carried our family 700 miles to the wedding of my oldest son. That old van not only had a lot of great memories associated with it but there were a number of bad memories that I’d rather not talk about. Our Old Van

As I thought about dropping off our van at the salvage yard it caused me to think about other things in my life that I have dropped off or need to drop off at the salvage yard of life. There are mindsets, perspectives and beliefs that I have had to let go of and stop doing so that I could go after new things.

A couple of years ago I decided to stop living a very unhealthy life so that I could start living better and a more physically healthy life. I stopped sleeping in so I could exercise early in the morning. I stopped eating garbage all of the time so I could feel better. I stopped focusing on being a fat guy so I could become a more fit guy.

What’s something new you would like to do? To answer that you need to answer the other question of; what do you need to stop doing?

5 Ways The Election Should Change Your Life

5 Ways The Election Should Change Your LifeThe 2016 election has brought out every emotion known to man. From anger and disgust to joy and surprise. It has unseated seemingly unknown bias’s some didn’t know or think they had. This election has caused some to question a lot of things about what they believe, where they live and what they want the future of our country to look like. For some the emotions they have experienced over the last year will continue and yet for others hopelessness, anxiety and fear will fill their thoughts.

As I have thought about the election I’ve come to the conclusion that your life, my life, will be changed. Some of those changes will happen immediately, some will take time. Some changes will be difficult while others will be easier and more enjoyable.

Here are five ways this election should change your life. Each of these require you to take action in spite of whoever leads our country, your city or your state.

Responsibility

You are responsible for where you find your place in life. From your career to relationships and health, all of those things are within your control. Don’t blame someone else, the government, circumstances or “bad luck”. Take responsibility for your successes and failures. If things in your life aren’t what you want, take responsibility and make the necessary changes.

Change

Understand that change begins with you. If you want to see things change in your community and country begin to show and model what that change looks like. Actions speak louder than words.

Unity

You play a key role in building bridges and reaching out to others to find common ground. Unity can’t be legislated or demanded by any law or government. Unity is born out of a desire to live in understanding with others. Even when there is disagreement and differing points of view there can be respect, honor and unity.

Work Hard

Hard work isn’t dependent on anyone else except you. It doesn’t matter who occupies a public office, you have the opportunity to rise up and carve out your place through hard work. Patience, persistence and perspiration are three things that will get you further than solely relying on your skills.

Golden Rule

The golden rule has always been the best way and will always be the best way – treat others how you want to be treated. If there is any one thing that you should have walked away with from this election it should be this. If you want to stand out and have a positive impact on those around you, treat them how you want to be treated.

What Do You Choose?

There are plenty of people, and maybe you are one, that believe the results of this election will totally upend your life for good or bad. At the end of the day you have the ability and the right to choose how you respond to the results. Your future is in your hands.

Take responsibility and let change begin in and with you. Be intentional about building relationships with those who share different beliefs and opinions. Work hard and when you feel like you have worked hard, work harder. And lastly treat others with respect, honor and how you want to be treated.