The author of Ecclesiastes wrote, “There is a time, a season for everything: A time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to tear down and a time to build…”
Those words rang true thousands of years ago and still apply today.
Are there situations in your life where you feel apathy or exhaustion?
Any places where you feel a sense of mental numbness?
The places where you’ve lost that heartbeat to go the extra mile, where zeal has been replaced with dread, or where your “box” feels smaller.
Somewhere that you’re bored and feel there is no more room to grow?
These are clues you might have outgrown a situation.
It’s time for a change.
Leaving contentment to pursue the unknown is filled with limitless uncertainty; however, avoiding that uncertainty is what will keep us trapped, stuck, and anxious. In order to change your situation, you must confront it. Confrontation is difficult, but constructive confrontation creates the opportunity for positive change—avoidance behavior does not.
Avoidance behavior includes, but is not limited to, keeping your head down, conforming, withdrawing, blending in, or masking. People avoid because they haven’t mustered the courage to change the situation that has become normal to them, even if that situation threatens their peace of mind.
However, constructively confronting situations reduces uncertainty, thereby easing the fear, associated with change. But, what does constructive confrontation look like?
- Plan. Plan because it forces you to think through your priorities, what matters to you, the milestones you want to accomplish and how you can achieve them. Planning gives you a script and a course to chart for your destination.
- Prepare. Prepare because you want to ensure adequate resources to make your journey a little smoother as you progress towards your destination. Preparation demands discipline or restraints and controls you place on yourself for the sake of achieving your milestones.
- Practice. Practice because repetitive action results in transformation. You become what you practice. If you practice positive thinking, you become a positive person. If you practice idleness, you become lazy and poor. If you practice reading educational content, you become more knowledgeable in that particular subject matter. If you practice your tennis serves, you increase your serving percentages.
- Pray. Pray because it is an act of surrender to a higher, wiser and more infinite power than you . Praying assumes you are humble enough to recognize this truth, and humility positions you to receive more favor, friends and fortune than arrogance.
These actions will breathe new life, vigor and hope into your personal journey and attract new opportunities.
QUESTIONS TO PONDER:
- What areas of your life do you need to change?
- What’s the worse thing that could happen to you if you constructively confront a situation you want to change?
- What are some other ways you can constructively confront a situation?
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A 2023 Nautilus Book Award Silver Winner in the category of self-help and personal growth