By Steve Beseke, beseke1@earthlink.net
Many of us have taken our hits in our county’s current economic morass. Instead of feeling out of control, I’ve used five ways to overcome the challenges of life. I thought these resiliency techniques might be useful in managing your world.
They are:
- Being Positive - See life as challenging, dynamic, and filled with opportunities. Of, course, this sounds like an infomercial. But, no matter how my day is going, I try to think of one positive I can rely on to bring a smile to my face.
As I mentioned in a previous post, this may be remembering a meaningful conversation that resonated with your teenager daughter, how beautiful/handsome your spouse looked before work this morning, or receiving an unexpected “thank you” from a co-worker you helped. Whatever your example, thinking about a positive moment has let me successfully get through the most challenging days. And remember: I have a teenage daughter…
- Being Focused – Determine where you are headed and stick to that goal so barriers do not block your way. I am a person who wants to do 12 tasks at once, which can be very tiring and ultimately unsuccessful. Whether at work or home, I now try to limit myself to juggling no more than three tasks at a time.
I have found that adding any more to-dos will not allow me to be as effective even with the simplest of tasks. An example is when I am stuck in rush hour traffic. In the past, I’ve let my mind wander to four or five other things as I am inching along. Sometimes I’ve missed a turn off and probably not been the safest driver because of excessive “multi-tasking.”
- Being Flexible - Open yourself to different possibilities when faced with uncertainty. I know friends who have the exact same routine everyday and then get upset when a co-worker or family member forces them out of their comfort zone. I am an introvert and a person with a disability, but I try to get out of my comfort zone to see what is “outside the box.”
Even though I sometimes have challenges walking, I try to take the stairs instead of always using the elevator. This action benefits my health tremendously and also shows folks I am not restricted to one way of approaching life.
- Being Organized – Develop structured approaches to be able to manage the unknown. This has been the most challenging for me – especially dealing with paperwork at the office. In the past, I used the “pile approach” and was terrific at stacking things. So much so that the piles use to grow and imitate Humpty-Dumpty.
Well, my office today looks immaculate with hardly a paper in sight. My secret: Recycle stuff when not needed and get an electronic copy where I can file it easily on my computer. A computer geek I am not, but it has sure saved me a lot disorganized moments in front of my boss.
Being Proactive – Look ahead, actively engage change, and work at staying ahead of what’s expected. Easier said than done, of course. I have always tried to stay on top of things whether at home or the office. It has always been one of my strengths.
The reason I have success is I try never to rely on the status quo. I have had a very happy 25-year marriage because I never fall back on past happiness. I am very proactive and think about what will make us happy in the future. Whether that is being active in a few of my wife’s interests or proactively listening to the needs on her plate. It works!
No one can change overnight, and I am sure you are good or better than me on many of these five techniques. But, if not, try to change one over a month’s time. Then, use the same approach for the other techniques in the future. I know you will feel satisfied and gratified with the resilient results in your world.
Until next time…