Points to Ponder:

"Learn how to be happy with what you have while you pursue all that you want." --Jim Rohn

Facing adversity is a part of social existence: pure and simple. Despite our best efforts and intentions, all of us are bound to be disappointed or hurt by actions or inactions of others at some point in the course of our lives. Interestingly, this may be especially true for people who are open to new experience and like to live their lives with gusto; always searching to expand their boundaries on intellectual, social or professional levels. After all, the more experiences one chooses to have, the greater the chance that a failure or disappointment may be found at some point along the way.

What is critical to remember, however, is that it is up to those challenged as to how these obstacles will impact their lives. Eventually, we all have to learn to live with the bad as well as the good. We simply can't afford to become unduly discouraged when a new experience does not go according to our plan or when something we learned to rely on actually lets us down. We need to grow resilient and find in ourselves the strength to bounce back from stress or adversity. We need to train ourselves to turn negativity into a powerful force that will help us to grow even more -- as loving, caring and compassionate individuals. Only then can we develop a positive self-image that will be a cornerstone of future self-development. We want to continue to experience our own worlds in positive ways and we want to continue believing that ultimately we create our own reality.  

Above all we must remember that the key to managing any change is managing learning.

Have you ever noticed that most successful life changes (career/ relationship/ health/ financial etc) are made when there is no crisis? That's because in crises situations we act under pressure, our decision-making is often impaired AND our choices are limited. So what should you do when you have that vague feeling that something unpleasant is about to happen - but you're not exactly sure when, where or what is driving it? You can of course pick up a copy of our book Every Day Matters: how you can improve your life in 7 weeks or less available on Amazon.com and other major online bookstores but, in addition, here is a list of key success factors that may provide you some guidance: .

1. Stop worrying: let the past be just a memory and don't obsess about the future; it has too many variables to be predicted perfectly. Focus on the here and now - a sequence of good todays should add up to a tomorrow worth living for. 2. Believe in yourself: self confidence generates courage just when it's needed and thus is instrumental in helping you achieve your goals. 3. Make intuition your ally: learn to look beyond the words and shallow gestures and trust the sensations or the 'just know' within you. Pay attention to what your gut is telling you. 4. Develop in your mind an image of what you want to accomplish: sometimes framing a concept in words makes the idea too rigid but by focusing on a picture you actually invite your subconscious to play an active role in helping you materialize your vision. 5. Ask yourself what conventional wisdom would say - and then question that "wisdom" in order to add an element of creativity and out-of-the-box thinking to your plans. By refusing to panic we actually empower ourselves to get into the drivers seat and may start making positive changes in our lives: before negative changes happen to us.

Change is the only constant in life. We've all heard that expression before, we accept its wisdom, and yet many times we become resentful of the 'new' that is inherent in any change - even a positive change. New skills required for that promotion, a new adjustment period for that international assignment, new relationships to be built for a membership in the group we wanted to join...While this resistance may have many different sources, for many people it grows from a deep seated self limiting belief that adults are not good learners and therefore any exposure to what is new is risky at best and self-defeating at worst.

Although it is true that adults and children learn differently, it is not my intention here to outline the various theories but rather to share with you what I have found makes a difference and ultimately changes how my clients embrace new opportunities:   Find motivation for learning - ask yourself these simple questions: "what do I want to accomplish? what new skills will I need to acquire to help me get there? " That way you will be able to create a learning road-map for yourself that will break down an initially abstract, complex and potentially intimidating concept into something more workable and easier to manage. You will feel in charge. If you want to improve or develop certain skills it is best to select trainings that requires active learning, this will provide the opportunity to practice what you learn. Ask questions, ask questions and again ask questions. The most powerful question is the simple "why?". Reject any preconceived notions you might have regarding learning capabilities of adults as well as your own learning potential. Instead, use the power of visualization to imagine yourself using your new skills in your life and in your career.   The world belongs to those who never cease to find new opportunities for growth and self-improvement while persevering to make their dreams come true.