The only constant is change. A trend starts, picks up momentum and goes right past balance. Next, it turns around and does the same thing in reverse.
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Stability is not the absence of change but rather the ability to maintain balance in a changing world. As an individual, the challenge is to keep your balance while developing the life skills that allow you to experience personal growth no matter which way the wind blows.
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Sadly, most of us have lost touch with our creative self; the pragmatist has replaced the dreamer. We have allowed the roles we play to define who we are as a person when it should be the other way around.
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From this perspective the winds of change can easily throw us off balance. If we get our identity from what we do then the loss of a job can trigger a full-blown identity crisis. If your identity is based on who you know, the loss of a friend might cause you to question who you really are.
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We would all like to think that we make up our own minds about most things. In reality we are constantly being conditioned by our environment to link certain things with pain or pleasure. Advertisers study human behavior in an effort to link their products to our emotions. Their advertising campaigns are designed to create subconscious emotional associations designed to influence the choices we make.
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The attitude of our close associates also has a powerful influence on our personal paradigms. Their opinions can actually precondition us to view things the way that they do. We may value someone else’s opinion so much, that we subconsciously adopt their viewpoint without any personal experience.
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Groups can also shape our preferences. In such cases acceptance often hinges on our ability to conform to group opinion.
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Your life and its many pursuits should be an expression of your most cherished dreams. Not the ones dictated to you by advertisers, friends, or group opinion.
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Most people choose a life course that is based on external criteria. They follow a path that leads always from their true desires. Consequently, with each step they distance themselves further from the life they truly long for.
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Circumstances and friends have a way of changing. Sometimes they support our dreams and passions while at other times they provide a challenge. The ability to keep your dreams alive in the face of challenging circumstances is one of the greatest attributes of a successful person.
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To accomplish this requires that you actually know who you really are and what you really want. Once you are in touch with your true self, the changes around you become much less influential. Instead of your identity being anchored to external forces it is safe and secure no matter which way the wind blows.
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Step #1: Know yourself.
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PS. One of the comments I here over and over again is “I’m not sure I know who I really am.” Have you ever felt that way? Would you like some help to figure it out? Let me here your thoughts.
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