Between COVID, political turmoil around the world and economic upheaval, we are all asking ‘what is the new normal?’ Yes, this is an uncertain world and yes, we do need to prepare for it. I will show you ways of reframing these challenges and provide some basic tools to face our new everyday circumstances. I do this in three stages.
STAGE 1 : Divide up the challenges into manageable pieces
We do this by dividing ourselves up into the various roles we have and then understanding the linkages between them:
- PERSONAL
- FAMILY AND FRIENDS: As a parent, sibling or friend
- WORK LIFE: Manager, entrepreneur, colleague, leader
- NATIONAL: Citizen of a country
- GLOBAL: Citizen of the world
STAGE 2 : 5 starting tools to include in your armoury
- Realising You Control More Than You Think You Do
- Think Through, Understand & Compartmentalise Challenges
- Don’t Absorb Collective Problems
- Every Coin Has Two Sides & Beware the Second Arrow
- Focus On The Here & Now
STAGE 3 : Identify, group and rationalise common challenges within each of our roles
- As an INDIVIDUAL in our PERSONAL ENVIRONMENT, these could include:
- Loss,
- Fear & insecurity,
- Blame & criticism,
- Hopelessness and
- Personal stagnation
- As a FAMILY MEMBER, we cover the critical 10 Cs of wise parenting:
- Character: No one is born with good/bad character, it can be developed
- Compassion/Caring: Not to be selfish and thinking of others before yourself
- Confidence or courage of your convictions
- Communication: Interacting, collaborating and developing relationships
- Critical Thinking: Think through the logic of an argument & defend your view
- Creativity: keep tinkering and trying new things
- Change: Become accustomed to change, embrace it and be adaptive
- Curiosity: Never stop learning and asking questions
- Cognitive Control: or self discipline or willpower – the ability to control impulses
- Childhood: Children derive many of their views of the world & behaviours from their parents
III. WORK COLLEAGUE or MANAGER
- Values: aligning your own with those of the company
- Viability: will my company survive
- Does remote working suit me
- Is there a growth and personal development path at work
- Our role as a CITIZEN of a country. Ask yourself questions about:
- Bribery & Corruption
- Economic instability
- Do you feel powerless as a citizen – what can you control?
- As a member of the human race, we are increasingly GLOBAL CITIZENS
- Biotechnology & IT
- Society & Politics
- Pandemics: WHO estimates that depression will impose the second biggest health problem globally by 2021, along with its cousin – chronic anxiety. They are overtaking happiness and contentment as the normal human condition
As an individual, when you become comfortable with uncertainty and change, infinite possibilities open up in your life. You will not merely need to invest in new ideas and products – you will above all need to reinvent yourself, again and again. But to survive in such a world, you will need a lot of mental flexibility and great reserves of emotional intelligence.
So in conclusion, our world is being turned upside down, but we do have the capacity to adapt and contribute. There are five tools listed above, but the Masterclass in Personal Effectiveness (jdlfmasterclassafrica.com/p/masterclass ) goes much further in training you how best to manage your own personal development and be able to rise to these challenges. Email personalgrowth@jdlfmasterclassafrica.com for further details on how to enrol
Watch the video below to meet James and Kim the trainers of the Personal Effectiveness Masterclass and learn more about this powerful course