Category: positive change

Change

Change

Times change. People change. Situations change.  The hard part of change is that it can go on around us while we fail to notice.  What was once vital is no longer needed.  What is now a must, is often choked out and ineffective because we can not understand the need for the change.  When we shun change, we must talk with the person in the mirror.

Change is not a bad thing.  Change keeps us fresh and new.  We become challenged to learn new ideas and protocols when change arrives, and this helps our minds stay nimble and expanding.  We need this, in part, to keep our brains active.

As we change, we should not hoard the past.  Keep the ideas and memories. You might keep a souvenir or two.  You do not need to fill your house with the items you no longer use.  The things left from decades ago are only keeping new memories from forming.

It is not easy to change and evolve, especially if you do not do it regularly. I would like to suggest you make a plan.  Start learning new items that interest you.  Never let yourself believe that you can’t.  Whatever reason you give yourself will not stand up to reason.  There will always be someone older, younger, smarter, and less intelligent than you who was able to accomplish the new things that you are attempting.  If others can do what you are working on learning (and they can), then you should have no problem doing the same.

You have an easy choice, believe you can, or think you cannot.  If you believe you can, nothing and no one can stop you.  If you want to think you cannot, well, you are a self-fulfilling prophecy.  Either way, you will be right.

Thank you for being with me today.  I hope to be with you again tomorrow.

Perspective

In this time of peril, we find ourselves isolated for our safety.  And for a longer time than some would imagine.  There are few of us built for confinement this long.  Yet, we must remember that in staying put, we are saving ourselves and others.

It is easy to notice the things which bother us.  Those are the items that scream for our attention.  There are benefits, though, which you should not overlook less missed completely.  At times like these, we need to search for the small quiet luxuries this time of family isolation gives us.

We have something that pandemics until now have not afforded.  We have instant communications.  With a cell phone or computer, we can talk to others in the world face to face, no matter where they live.  We can know what is happening and what outcomes are without waiting for weeks or months.  Even though we are apart, we are closer than at any time in the history of the world.

Now is the moment to pull out the ‘if I had time’ lists.  And if you do not have a list, now is the time to make one and start fulfilling it. You have the time.  You probably have supplied the needed items around the house.  And if you do need something, Amazon and many other stores can get it to you pretty fast.

If the family is at its wit’s end, maybe a family project that keeps everyone working together is the ticket to happiness.  Or, everyone doing their project might be even better.  The idea is that we always wish for time to do something.  Toilet paper might need rationing, yet you, for the moment, have all the time you need.  Use it to your advantage.

Thank you for being with me today. I hope to be with you again tomorrow.

Change Again

I have been professionally teaching about change since 2003.  I believe that change for a reason is much better than changing just for the sake of doing so.  Right now, we are changing out of a vital need for survival.  Although this type of change is hard and sometimes depressing, we still need to do it.  In this effort, we may again discover conveniences of a century ago. 

My grandfather managed a corner market in Reading, PA.  He would take orders by phone, box up the merchandise, and have a runner deliver it to the home of the shopper.  This method allowed for faster shopping (he knew the spot of everything in the store.)  And, the shopper could stay at home and manage it.  The runner would deliver the goods, collect the payment, and return to the store.

When the A & P came to town and put up supermarkets, they bought out the corner stores.  My grandfather gained a job stacking shelves for the supermarket.  It was a good job, and he worked nights.

Today, we can order online and have groceries delivered to our front door.  People did not like the change away from delivery in the 20th century, and they are slow to go back to it in the 21st.  I, though, am glad for the return.  With the virus we face now, I do not want to go anywhere a virus could be shared.  Right now, we all should stay home and safe as much as possible.

Good change happens, not because we are bored, instead because we hold a need that must occur in a different way than we have done it before.  Those who set out to meet new needs are brave adventurers.  They are willing to take chances to make life better.  The changers know they do their work while facing the slings and arrows of those who live within the comfort zone of normalcy.

As for me, I do like needed change.  If you do not like change, please let me know.  I will send you an address where you can send me all your quarters and dimes.

Thank you for being with me today.  I hope to be with you again tomorrow.

We All Have a Job to Do

We are in a terrible pandemic, and it is as bad as some movies made of such things.  Although we are in trouble, we are better now than when the world found itself caught in the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918.  Yet there is light at the end of the tunnel.

We have better communications to understand what is going on around the world. Some nations may put up false fronts, wanting to look better then they are, yet that does not last for long.  Some wish to hoard vital necessities and try to make a profit on the suffering of others.  Yet, we will know who and how to handle them in the long run.

Like the plagues that have decimated us for eons, this, too, will do its evil and be eradicated.  We have the technology, and we have the tools.  What we need to do is have the will to work in unison for the good of all.  Finger-pointing and laying blame are actions for armchairs and later consideration.  We do not want to be the generations that could have stopped an evil yet were too busy debating and complaining to do anything of substance.

I know that if we work together, there is nothing that can stand in our way, protecting ourselves as our work is vital.  When we sacrifice our health, we are not martyrs; we are the source of infection to unsuspecting others.  If we ignore what is advised by our medical community, we are not individualists; we are the problem.

We must take this seriously to survive.  There are no medals for having been there, only those who survive and those remembered.  Please, be a survivor.

Thank you for being with me today.  I hope to be with you again tomorrow.

Mix it Up

Now that most of us are at home, trying to work, learn, or survive, we need to protect ourselves from ruts.  It is easy to fall into a rut without even realizing what is happening.  Getting out of a rut is difficult.

The best way to avoid a rut is to mix things up.  If you are a Gamer or a TV addict, try turning off the electronics and read a book for a while.  If you are a bookworm, play a game or watch some television. 

Doing different things helps us to stay fresh and helps us to avoid ruts.  Even the things we love can get old after a while.  We need to ensure we are finding new challenges and new alternatives as we make this journey in our lives. 

We are all travelers to a new destination.  The trip is akin to astronauts traveling to a new planet.  And like space travelers who count on their spaceships, our safety is in our homes.  And like those travelers, we are both moving to a new world that may seem familiar yet will have unique needs and requirements.

We do not know what demands we can expect from the future.  I believe we will need our wits about us to navigate certain pitfalls and new ruts.  To be ready, we need to keep our minds sharp now.  To stay sharp, I recommend knowing what is going on, staying in touch, and, most of all, staying out of the ruts.

Thank you for being with me today.  I hope to be with you again soon.

Time to Think

We are in a battle for lives, ours, and the lives of those we know and love.  We need to stay hunkered down in our abodes, separated and safe.  The isolation gives us time to think.  And, time to think, if left on its own, can be a fearful experience. The mind, wondering without direction, will develop its own scenarios.  Some types of thoughts that might seem real are only a culmination of the tribulations we imagine.

I would like to propose we give our minds diversions which we monitor.  True, streaming our favorite entertainment can do this.  The problem is that outside stimulus only reaches so far.  The brain will grow bored with it.  I recommend we put the mind to work and see what it can do for us.

We might take a look at what interests us, and how we can make an item, process, or new invention better.  Is there a way of doing something that would change lives for the better?  What is the next gadget that will be in demand?
How can you save your neighbors’ time, money, or work?  How are you going to help make the people want to exert to be more fit?

If you only had the time?  I think we have it.  If you only could do some research? On the web. If you only had some people to help?  Friends on social apps.  If you only had an idea? Run a focus group on a group chat or video conference.

We find ourselves in a strange state.  For all that is going wrong in the world right now, we can reach out and help one another.  We do this, not with a physical presence. Instead, we meet with the virtual realm we have built to bring us closer together.

Thank you for being with me today.  I hope to be with you again tomorrow.

Happy Minds Are Busy Minds

It is crucial that, in any crisis, you acknowledge the problem.  You do all you can to solve the issues that are present, seen, and unseen.  And then the most challenging part comes. You need to stop dwelling on the micro-details of each thing that could go wrong and find something to do while the event plays out.  If you do not give your mind something else to do, it will entertain itself with what-ifs.

I think some of the actions we are seeing from the top leaders are diversions to help us have other things on which to maintain focus.  And, yes, we need distractions.  One thing you can use as a change is to clean and possibly rearrange your house or have the kids design a better way to layout their bedroom. 

Another thing you can do is look at your work and what you would like to do if your company does not open after the pandemic.  I worked at a workforce center in 2008 – 2015.  I saw good people make simple mistakes that kept them from being hired into good jobs.  

I will go into more detail on this later next week and the week after.  For now, do not worry about your work; there will be jobs.  And try not to worry about pandemics.  The best way to lower worry is to stay focused on what they tell us to do and keep our minds busy with something positive.

Does anyone have a good mask I could make or use?

Thank you for being with me today.  I hope to be with you again tomorrow.

Setting the Standard

I am a real proponent of distance education.  In this electronic age, we blame so much of our electronic use for causing everything from bad habits to addiction and poor eyesight. Our use of phones, tablets, and laptops now turns to help keep education alive when it is unhealthy to have children in physical classrooms.

I did much of my Master of Arts in Adult Education and Training on distance learning.  With a worldwide shortage of teachers, training on the web is a way to help everyone learn.  This connection to knowledge has great potential for teaching all age groups and many skills.

If parents want to impress their young learners, I challenge them to learn something new on the web.  You do not have to enroll in a university.  There are many free and almost free sites on the Internet where you can find something exciting and learn it.  Pick something that you have always had a desire to know.

I know many of us are working from home these days.  Think of what it might mean to your kids if the whole family spent an hour or two a day learning around the table.  Everyone would be working on their classes, and the thought that everyone, even mom and dad learning, could be a real emotional victory.  It might be something that could unite a family and show how important education is for everyone.

One thing I have learned is that we are in an age of continuous learning.  We cannot rest on what we know today, because tomorrow will overtake the old knowledge with new ideas and new facts.  Our knowledgebase grows that fast these days.  What you may teach your kids about learning with an exercise like this may give them an insight that will power them throughout their life.

Thank you for being with me today.  I hope to be with you again tomorrow.

Cabin Fever

As our days of quarantine stretch into another four weeks, we need to remember that the good or bad that we experience is not in our surroundings as much as it is in our mind’s eye.  Wherever you are, your next month could be better, and it could be much worse.  Whatever you are experiencing, is controlled more from your head and less from your four walls.

Some people would hate being in a royal palace, and some would be happy in a barn stall.  Your domicile is just that, a home.  Apartment or estate, your place of residence is only that, the place where you live. Whether you are happy with it or not is up to you.  This function lives in your brain.

Make a list with three columns.  What you like about your surroundings, what you do not like about your surroundings. The third column is what you can change about your surroundings to make them more desirable for you. Remember, the problem is more profound than just someone or something.  The problem is the results of some action or interference, which prevents you from your desired goal. 

Look at the list from time to time to see how you can minimize the actions that give you discomfort.  As you do this, try to be mindful of your effects that cause others the same angst that you are feeling.   Consider what you can do to minimize their negative feelings. Also, consider the idea that if they felt better, you might feel better.

Thank you for being with me today.  I hope to be with you again tomorrow.

How Simple?

Are you tired of how something works?  Want to make a change for the better? There is no time like the present to do so.  We need to accept that until you take a stab at fixing what bothers you, that item will just continue to be an annoyance.  If you are staying home anyway, why not be a little productive. Changing something for the better is a good act that will exercise the mind and help take your thoughts off other, less appealing, matters.

Remember, I told you earlier this week,  we have a fabulous computer, and it usually has a less than stellar memory system?  That is true.  Therefore, I suggest we start with some paper and writing implements.  Find a writing pad or notebook, some pens, pencils, markers, or whatever you are comfortable using.  The use of a computer, smartphone, or tablet is also encouraged for doing research, talking to mentors, and mock-up drawings.

Start by writing about what it is you want to change, make better, or invent.  Use the five W’s (who, what, when, where, why, and how).  Try to give an overall view of what you want to do and specifics on how the change will work.  Your work, at this point,  does not need to be perfect, just do the best you can, as you work through this, things will change.

Do your research.  Identify not only how your ideas will improve the task, why will it improve the lives of others? When will people use this new item or technique? And what the positive differences are, and how these differences will benefit others?  You can set out with some theories and then prove them as you go.

Please don’t be surprised if your idea takes several tries and revisions to get right.  Remember the vast number of tests Thomas Edison went through to settle on tungsten as the filament for the light bulb.  The trick is not to give up.  If you believe in something, continue on until you have the right solution.

Thank you for being with me today. I hope to be with you again tomorrow.