I was in a conversation with a friend of mine over the weekend and she suddenly remarked, I have become slow in whatever I am and in whatever I do. To quote “I feel I have become lethargic about a lot of things in my life. I feel I have lost my edge”. That statement caught my attention especially given her tone and facial expressions with which she said it. As soon as I heard her say that, I asked her how so?
The conversation went on for long as she was narrating several incidents in her life and how she had behaved. From her statements and the questions I asked her, I observed that she had become more mindful and conscious in a lot of things that she does. She thus feels frustrated at times that she is no longer the energetic and enthusiastic self that she was known for.
It was interesting that she made a strange connection between being mindful and being lethargic and thus dissociating herself with her energetic and enthusiastic younger self.
Are you disappointed with a conscious change you have made in life?
Have you reflected what these changes are and why you made those changes?
Do you consider yourself as a failure and somebody who has given up in life on account of some changes in your perspectives?
You are not a FAILURE if:
1. You are more conscious and aware in what you do instead of acting on impulse.
2. You think twice and don’t react to your emotions be it in responding to others verbally or in writing.
3. You have consciously slowed down in terms of how you plan your day instead of feeling constantly being on the rat race.
4. You are aware about your emotions and this awareness helps you to recognize your emotions and yet frame your communication in a way that it lands properly on the recipient.
5. You realize that when things don’t go as per your plan, it is not about you or the other person but it is about finding out what were the gap or interferences were that led to the plan not being met.
6. You realize that in your gym or yoga or exercise regime, each day is different and your body is different. Change is part of your body and each day is different and thus you need to keep an open mind.
7. You like action and fast pace but there are things in life you realize you need to step back. Accepting the latter doesn’t mean you have given up.
8. The circumstances in every aspect of your life is different from 15, 10, 5 or 1 year back and you need to change your way of thinking and the way you behave.
9. You are goal oriented and an achiever but your experiences have taught you that anger doesn’t help when the goal is not achieved as per your plans.
10. You take mini breaks to gain insights and help your lateral thinking.
You are not old if you have adapted to circumstances and made yourself more flexible in your attitude. We all need to evolve in our thinking and our behavior. Only way to do this is to keep an open mind, reflect, unlearn, relearn and look at things with a fresh perspective.
Don’t let your inner critique get the better of you. Avoid negativity. Click To Tweet
Be Ambitious and Persistent But Do Only What You Can Do. Click To Tweet
How flexible are you in making changes and accepting the new you?
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When we make changes, it can take a while to sink into our new way of being. New changes may feel bad but truth is it’s just different. Thanks for sharing your friend’s story as an example.
Yeah that feeling of weirdness and out of sync feeling. I related to many aspects of what she shared with me. Thank you Alli for reading, sharing and commenting. I appreciate.
Hello Lalita,
Our change not only impacts ourselves but will impact our relationships — and not all our loved ones, friends, colleagues and acquaintances may react positively at first or even later. Embracing your 10 points on “You Are Not A Failure If” is a motivator to staying the course and continuing to be brave about our change. Enjoyed your post!
Jackie Yun
Thank you Jacky. Agree our attitudes and behaviors affects others around us.
I appreciate your insight