Monday Motivation: Coping With Change
This article was originally published on June 1, 2020 at https://gritdaily.com/monday-motivation-coping-with-change/
Monday motivation, we need it, let’s go! We see you, struggling to get your day started and in need of a pick-me-up to launch your week on the right foot. Studies show that your morning mood affects your productivity all day. Grit Daily is here to get your work week off to a good start. Pump your fists – it’s time for Monday motivation! And guess what? We’ve revamped our popular Monday motivation podcast – stay tuned for that relaunch …
Expect the unexpected
Easier said than done, right? Fundamentally, as a principle of Monday motivation, we all know that the only constant in life is change. That means that internally, we’re already mentally preparing ourselves for out lives to be somehow altered. We simply don’t know when, or how they will change. The silver lining here is that, as a species, we are innately resilient and more prepared for change than we think that we are.
That doesn’t mean that we should push through our life changes like an automaton. We need to pause, absorb the change, mourn the loss, reflect on what the lesson was and adjust accordingly. Today’s unhappiness or struggles aren’t a life sentence. With focus and effort, we can process the change, steel ourselves to handle it and consider a brighter future.
But it’s not easy. Over the weekend, I had some unexpected news; thankfully not related to my physical health or the welfare of any of my loved ones but it did jostle me deeply. The news clouded me all day and left me sleepless because the change will have a profound affect on the trajectory of one of my projects and on all of us as members of the team working on this project. There’s a lesson in there somewhere, I’m sure, but I’m still mourning the loss and still working through what to do differently going forward. Even Monday motivation writers need to cope with change!
Monday motivation tips to prepare for change
#1 – uncertainty brings opportunity
The Chinese word for change is made from two characters (unsure if this will show on your screen but here we are 更改 ). One character means uncertainty whereas the other means opportunity. Ask yourself a big Monday motivation question, how can you leverage a time of transition to increase the clarity of your vision and plans for the future?
#2 – evaluate your life regularly
Daily or even weekly retrospection might be too often and create more anxiety than any one person can handle. But quarterly seems to be about right for most people and businesses, so, perhaps consider starting with this cadence. Is your life on track? What are your current priorities? What would you change? Why are you changing it? It’s challenging to find time to ourselves to think deeply on such questions, but we all need to make the time. We’re worth it!
#3 – distill it down
It’s not so much about what changed or why it changed, it’s more about how that change will affect you. What will YOU do about it going forward? Distill it down to the basics; X changed which means that I must now do A, B, C as my new priorities. Each day, work towards knocking out Priority A. When you’ve nailed it, move onto B and so on. There is light ahead!
Resilience, adaptability, loneliness, depression, anxiety – these are emotions that we’re all feeling right now. COVID-19 has hit us all extremely hard in ways that we haven’t even begun to process yet. But we are resilient as humans. Feel your feelings. Think about what you need to do in response to the change and dig in. We’ll get there together as the Monday motivation community!
Like a Boss – one of several podcasts available on Grit Daily media channels
If you’re a podcast person, gain some inspiration and insights from our guests on my “Like a Boss” content: listen here on our Grit Daily podcast channel on Apple iTunes. Or return here each week for our Monday Motivation quick tips. Finally, if you like my writing, check out my new novel, The Battle for Humanity, it’s a thriller you won’t be able to put down. Have a fabulous week!
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay