The New Normal
It takes 21 days of repetition to
learn something new. While this is fascinating, it also sheds some light on the
power of the human mind to adapt to inconsistency. In other words, what you
experience for 21 straight days is burned in your subconscious as a permanent
memory. Your mind will refer to that memory to make decisions in future. Your experience
with COVID-19, or whatever it is that has changed your life, has formatted your
behavior is some significant ways regarding your family, your health, your job
and your outlook in life. It would not be far from the truth to welcome you to
the new normal. Nonetheless, if this is the new normal, how do you move on from
here? The following ideas will help you map a bold path towards a desirable future.
What has changed?
First, establish what has changed.
Perhaps you have to work at home and will be working from home for some time to
come. You also have a new routine of waking up and going to bed. You have to learn
some new computer skills. While most people will sit back and wait for things
to go back to normal, consider the benefits and new insights that have come to
you through this experience. Take the opportunity to burn these new competencies
into your psyche as part of the new normal.
What is continuing?
Well, not everything has been
disrupted by this change you have been forced to make. Perhaps you are still
able to pray and ask God for help. Perhaps your exercise routine has not
changed. Maybe your online classes have been kicked up a notch. These are worth
noting and enhancing as they probably speak to things you were doing, but had
taken for granted. Consider these and redouble your efforts to excel in these
areas as part of your new normal.
What is the impact of the change
happening around you?
Have you taken note of effects
the changes are having on what is going on around you? Is the national economy
changing? Are you spending more money because you have to stay home? What is
the impact of having more people in your neighborhood during the day? Do you now
contact customers and make all your sales before midday? How is the change affecting
others? How is the world adjusting and how can you align yourself with it? Take
note of what is happening around so that you don’t miss any important adjustment
you need to make to be part of the new normal.
How do you feel about it?
If is possible to go through an experience
and come out unchanged unless it affects you to the point that you have some feelings
about it. Your feelings, not your intellect, will drive you to make the changes
you need to make. If what is going on does not make you uncomfortable or push
you out of your comfort zone you are unlikely to change. So, when you feel the
difference in something you have to do, you may need to train yourself to be
part of the new normal.
What are your options?
Things probably have not changed
unless you have had to ask yourself, “what are my options?”. At that point you
will have to consider how to address the new normal. It may be that you have to
make some difficult decisions. If you
postpone them, it will only make it harder for you in the days to come. To set
you on a path to a hopeful future in the new normal, you will have to remove
your head from under the pillow and make decisions that will make you victorious in the days ahead. If you lost your job, contract or had to walk through
some other personal crisis because of this thing, whatever it is, it may be
time to cut your losses and make some decisions that will help you move on and
up in the new normal.
Finally, after 21 days of learning and perhaps
relearning, there is a new sense of permanency around you and things will never
be the same again. But I firmly believe you have the power within you to make
the new normal work for you.
See related articles
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thank you for sharing in this conversation