A Perfect Opportunity for Reinvention

Pexels with permission

Source: kkPexels with permission

The 800-pound gorilla threatening us these days turns out to be a microscopic virus named Omicron. In an era of disruption, Omicron is the ultimate disruptor.

Thanks to Omicron, schedules are overturned, operations unglued, deadlines revamped, economies unhinged, supply chains knocked out. and deliveries postponed.

Normal life has been cancelled.

So, if you are contemplating making a personal life change, be aware that society itself is undergoing a great upheaval.

Nicholas Bloom of Stanford University. has said in the Los Angeles Times that, because of the pandemic, “Work life will never the same.” He cites an example of a major change: “Working from home has surged twelve-fold between 2017-2018 and May 2020.” Bloom has stated that “The pandemic has brought the biggest change to American working life since the earlier wartime shift to military production.”

And so many people have left their current jobs during this time that some are calling our current era the “Great Resignation.”

Indeed, in a recent poll, the U.S. Labor Department reported that 3% of the total U.S. work force quit their jobs in the month of November alone.

And, like a rubber band, once society has undergone such an extreme stretch, it never completely returns to its original shape.

So, as you contemplate your own personal change, be aware that you are also entering an environment swept by a tidal wave of Omicronic disruption. But the timing could prove to be highly advantageous. You would be making a change in an era of change, and would be flowing with the current.

Here are some thoughts to consider as you contemplate the future trajectory of your life:

Clarify Your Motivation for Change.
Are you running toward something, or away from something? And why? The direction of your change is important.

Have You Asked All the Questions You Need to Ask?
You may be so motivated to change that you haven’t asked some critically important questions. Ask them. Then listen for the answers.

Embrace Periods of Silence to Gain Clarity of Thought.
One of the best strategies for gaining clarity and insight during decision making is engaging in periods of silence. We are all so deluged by trivial data that we need to periodically flush out our minds. Silence can facilitate this process.

There has been only a small amount of scientific research on silence, but the results are quite intriguing. A 2013 study on mice by researcher Imke Kirste was published in the journal Brain, Structure and Function. The research team delivered different types of noise and silence to mice and studied the effects.

Mice that were exposed to two hours of silence a day developed new, functioning neurons in the brain’s hippocampus, the area associated with memory, emotion, and learning. The study suggests that periods of silence could be a valuable adjunct to any decision-making process.

I personally value silence highly, and spend twenty minutes a day in silence as part of my normal work/life routine. And every fewl months, I go to a nearby Benedictine monastery, where I take three-day silent retreats. I feel it makes a huge positive difference in my thinking.

Gather Information; Avoid Misinformation.
As you seek data, always be guided by the three pillars of critical thinking: 1. Who said it? Are they truthful and reliable? 2. Where did they get their information? And what process did they use to get it? and 3. Do they have some personal, perhaps hidden, incentive for sharing this data?

Give Your Brain a Reset. Read Ficciones.
Ficciones was written by the Argentinian writer Jorge Luis Borges, one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century. His book Ficciones is amazing, dizzying and hallucinatory. It is filled with surprises from every angle, and refracts the uncharted territory of the unconscious. It will definitely give your brain a reset. Enjoy!

Decision-Making Essential Reads

Do We Make Better Choices When It's All About Us?

Feel It Out or Think It Over: How Body Signals Guide Choices

As you discover and create your future, remember that you are completely unique. There is noone else in the universe quite like you. As you strive to change your life, try to make sure that any contribution you make will be a contribution that most reflects your own unique personal gifts.

© David Evans