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Change is in the air, and regardless of your political position you are likely going to feel the impact of change today. We know that change is constant, and yet certain moments bring about a visceral sensation that tides are turning, a new ship has sailed. Today is one of those days.
Watching the process of change unfold in the upcoming transition of power in our country I became deeply emotional, recognizing the impact of what’s happening in this moment in time. I also quickly discovered my compassion for those who might be struggling through this change process, desperate to hold on to what they had hoped to be their plan A. Perhaps ironically, I was simultaneously watching a video of an upcoming speaker for our Global Stress Summit, Dr. Ken Druck, who was addressing an international hope and healing conference where he talked about this very notion. That when we experience loss we “stand in the ashes of plan A as we consider how we might imagine our plan B.”
For many of us, the election process never even offered up a plan A, which meant we’ve already been working on plan B or burying our heads in the sand hoping that it will all just figure itself out somehow. For others, you worked hard at your plan A, devoting your time, energy and passion to a cause you believed in only to have the foundation of hope knocked out from underneath you. For many still, you fight – even just inside your own mind - for plan A to some how become resurrected out of the ashes, holding onto hope for what your best plans should have manifested.
Regardless, change is stressful. Plans aside. There is so much uncertainty, laced with fear that has been hardwired by what we’ve known to be true in the past. Our expectations and judgments can get the best of us, creating even greater anxiety and worry that we become unable to move through the change process in a healthy way. More than anything on this day of incredible change, I want to encourage all of us that change is required for growth. It doesn’t mean it will be easy. In fact, if you consider the times you’ve personally experienced tremendous growth, wisdom and understanding you’ll likely notice it was throughout a difficult experience.
Last year was one of my worst, and yet looking back I see how every moment of that experience was chipping away at what I had held onto as my plan A in order to force my hand and heart to consider another, better way. In all of the interviews I have conducted on radical resilience, the story always follows a path of rebuilding: a serious change of plans. I am eager to share these stories of resilience with you over the next few months. Until then, I want to encourage you to consider any change-induced stress as an opportunity for growth. And remember that in our toolkit for building resilience, the most important tools we have are each other.