Dealing with Today

How do we deal with a new reality in the short-term and in the long-term? Sometimes it can be overwhelming. In this section, I give you a snapshot of many of the ways I found to cope with change. I have kept explanations brief so you can expand on them as you see fit. There is no right or wrong way to cope, but. . .

. . . coping is often the key to survival. . .
and
. . . successful coping may be the key to opportunity. . .

I have drawn on much of my teaching and learning in strategic planning, which is a principle of business that is forward-looking. Here we discuss: observing, creating a sense of place, listening to your Self, saying flexible, visualizing, and indulging your Self.

Step Back, Observe and Ponder
One of the first things we must do is to assess our current situation. We need to collect our thoughts, to think about the changes, and to begin to sort things out toward some level of understanding. We should try to stay nonjudgmental and detached while doing so. We want to make rational decisions for our future.

Listen to and Study Self
Your Self is that soul you live with. This is a time to really study your Self - to see who it is you have been living with all these years, to see “the stuff you are made of.” Exercise your skills in Self-awareness, and learn new ones via reading, conversation and other awareness-building activities. This is discussed in more detail later in this book.

Listen to Your Environment
By environment, I mean more than the natural environment - I mean everything that surrounds us, be it our families, our work, our homes, our financial situations, or our neighbors.

This is a time for coping, yes, but also for information-gathering so that you can effectively plan your next move. Open your Self up to the possibilities. Tune in to everything you can and collect information about your current situation and your future opportunities and threats. Although this is discussed in more detail in a later chapter, begin now!

Set the Stage: Create a Sense of Place
For this depth of coping, thinking and planning, it is best to have a safe and peaceful place, preferably for both mind and body. Some people meditate, turning their minds into a peaceful place, or read a good book to clear their head. Some people physically move to a more soothing environment - or even a more stimulating one.

“Place” has power over us, so we need to tune into our space and our place, and make it as positive a force as we can. Our investment in surroundings gives us a return-on-investment on the quality of our thinking. Plus, it makes the experience of living more joyful in the process!
Alternatively, you can go for a nature walk, go to a museum or dress up your home to create a more soothing or peaceful space. Even fresh flowers give me a sense of peace and place, regardless of the setting.

Ponder and Contemplate

Two flopped-down benevolent coyotes: They whiled away the afternoon contemplating just why grasshoppers are sweeter in June and other mysteries that make up life’s deepest meanings. S. Gullikson

Stay Flexible
During change, it is helpful to stay flexible. The natural tendency is to resist change, but we may not have that choice. Our future direction may be uncertain, and staying flexible seems to help manage the peaks and valleys.

Just as it is important to stay physically limber, it is also important to stay mentally limber—to be able to bend and twist when needed.

Begin to Visualize
It is time to begin trying to visualize a new reality, a new future. Notice what excites you, or stimulates you or gives you a sense of well-being.

Listen to Your Environment

Sometimes what Coyote liked to do best was just to STAND QUIETLY in the company of several trees, of different ages and temperaments naturally, and catch upon all of the forest gossip. S. Gullikson

Indulge Your Self
Sometimes, indulging our Self can be helpful in maintaining the calm that we need for clear-headedness, or in generating the stimulation that we need to creatively focus on our futures. Cheap thrills and little luxuries can go a long way toward brightening a day or a room, or toward stimulating our minds.

Cheap thrills include the little indulgences that make life feel good. It might be a nice cup of coffee, a good bottle of wine, a flower in a vase, a nice bar of soap, a great coffee mug, a good cup of homemade soup, a delicious chocolate, a movie, a good book, a high quality golf ball, a visit with a friend, or some time for letter-writing.