We are seeing the end of the pandemic in the US. Infection rates have dropped to the lowest level. More than half of adults have received at least one shot of the vaccine. The CDC issued revised guidelines last week that fully vaccinated people needn’t wear masks outdoors and indoors. And as we start looking forward, I reflect on how the pandemic has impacted my life and the lessons I’ve learned. One of the biggest lessons for me is how even the smallest gestures can have a huge impact. The ability to adjust to and make the most of every day helped me get through the worst of the pandemic. While some people embrace change with excitement and joy, for most it creates a feeling of trepidation. Uncertainty can often feel like pain for a perceived loss of the familiar and comfortable. To overcome the sense of dread, we need two allies: agility and elasticity. Agility is the ability to react swiftly to change and adapt to the new reality. Elasticity means bounce-ability, the ability to stretch to full capacity and make the most of every opportunity, one moment at a time.
Remember cat’s cradle, that childhood game played using a stretchy rubber band? I used to spend hours making shapes with my friends. To truly thrive, we need to be like rubber bands: flexible and able to stretch into all sorts of different shapes. Indeed, a life lesson from a rubber band, stretch further than you think and make beautiful new shapes when under pressure. Mental elasticity allows us to shift gears and think of a situation in more than one way seeing the possibilities. Yet, we often feel or hear others report feeling stretched too thin, being almost at the breaking point. When stretched too far and for too long, rubber bands break. Knowing when to push yourself harder, and stretch further, and when to let yourself off to avoid the breaking point can be a tricky balance. Not stretching beyond the comfort zone will result in complacency. Pushing too hard might just break us, not make us stronger. That delicate interplay of effort and letting go is like the two wings of a bird – both necessary for a smooth flight. Birds need to know when to stroke their wings with power and when to glide on air currents. In our busy fast-paced world, we have mastered the skill of quickly moving from task to task. However, in order to truly soar high and thrive, we need to be able to stop pushing and learn to flow with life.
Making an effort to create what we want in life and surrendering into what life brings our way are two equally important components of reaching one’s potential. On the one hand we need to commit to go beyond the comfort zone and do our best work AND to know when to let go when needed. Self-actualization happens when our efforts come from a place of curiosity and a desire to learn. Pushing ourselves too hard when chasing after specific results can leave us exhausted physically and mentally. Effort without surrendering, without softening, is over-effort that can lead to burnout. Growth lies in the duality of effort and surrender. The ultimate reward of pursuing goals is the full participation in the process, the joy of the journey and all that we learn in the process of trying and doing. When we can find balance between effort and flow, we open ourselves to new discoveries and endless possibilities.
Most of us don’t have to worry about the basics of the hierarchy of needs. To a large extent when gainfully employed, our physical needs are met and we don’t have to worry about getting enough food, or shelter. But our emotional needs may require dedicated attention. Almost by definition, stepping outside the comfort zone is a prerequisite to living to full potential. It requires persistent effort rather than extraordinary measures. Rewire your mindset to conquer challenges and prosper. Learn to stretch your strengths by applying them in new ways to drive new outcomes and improve the situation regardless of setbacks and in spite of unfavorable conditions. Here’s how:
First ask yourself: “Am I living up to my potential?”
If the answer is “no,” ask: “What do I need to change?”
Apply the following 3 Elasticity Strategies:
1. Define your WHO
Envision the person you want to become. What is your actual potential? What do you need to accomplish to be proud of yourself decades from now? What would it require of you to become this person? Look back at the past week. How much of your time and effort was spent checking the boxes versus what is really important to you? It is very easy to get swept up in the everyday tasks. Break your WHO vision into smaller pieces. Make a list of actions that would set you on that path. Commit to setting aside time every day to do one thing to get you closer to being the person you aspire to become. Be intentional in your actions. If something is truly important to you, set the time to do it focusing on the deliverable, the fruit of your labor.
2. Add the NEW
Growth calls for calculated risks trying something NEW – Never Experimented With. Trying new things does involve potential loss and disappointment but also great rewards. But what if you are exhausted? Frustrated? Absolutely miserable? What if you fail? Oh, but what if you thrive? Just as there’s no guarantee that you will love the experience, there’s no guarantee that you’ll hate it. The only actual guarantee is that there is no way of knowing how things will pan out. Don’t worry about the “what ifs.” Pursue paths you believe could help you grow. If the one you end up with turns out to be the worst ever, you will re-evaluate, re-group, and adjust course. Nothing is permanent. There are always options. The best way to learn is by doing. How will you know what you enjoy if you’ve never experienced it? Every experience will teach you about what you more, or less, of. Let your experiences inform your choices.
3. Shift to an Elastic Mindset
Train yourself to see possibilities and believing you can. This entails feeding your mind with fresh ideas every day by getting involved in new things, reading books you’d typically not pick up, listening to podcasts by thought leaders, etc. To keep up with a world that never stops changing, be sure to keep learning in order to keep growing and to keep succeeding in achieving your goals. Learning will strengthen and stretch your mental capacity. New challenges will necessitate new insights. Make it a habit to not settle on what you know, what you have, and what is easy. Dare explore options beyond “Always Done it This Way.” Cultivating an elastic mindset will help you expand your thinking and reach the next level, and the next one.
Allow yourself to be stretched and challenged in new ways in order to go places and do things you haven’t been able to before.
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