Category: Change

How Are You Holding Up?

As so many things are in flux, and uncertainty seems to be everywhere you look, how are you holding up?

It is safe to say that the last month has been a busy one. Regardless of how you feel about the changes that are happening, change, by itself, can be very difficult.

In general, we have a preference for the status quo. We understand it, even if we see the flaws and wish things were better. Managing a known, imperfect system, for many of us, is better than introducing changes that might well make things worse (even if they could make things better).

We crave stability. So much so, that many of us devote much of our lives to creating a stable world.

Of course, that stability is an illusion. At any time, your house might burn down, and you could lose everything you own. Your life could be turned upside down with an unfortunate medical diagnosis. An accident can happen to anyone, regardless of age or general health.

In such extreme circumstances, it is important to monitor your own well-being. Knowing when you need a break, or support from loved ones, or an inspirational speech, is important.

With that in mind, here’s the question: How are you holding up? Are you in denial, engaged as never before, or hiding in bed under your covers? What is your mental state in these unusual times?

Related questions: How do you deal with major life changes? How do you perform self-care? Are we too busy? How are we doing?

How Do You See The Future?

It can be difficult to see months into the future, let alone years or decades. How do you see what lies ahead?

Reality serves us a constant reminder that we don’t know what is going to happen. At the start of the football season, we don’t know who is going to win the Super Bowl. We can’t predict the weather more than a week in advance. People who invest in the stock market can only hope a particular stock will go up in price.

And yet, despite all the evidence that shows we cannot accurately predict the future, some people seem awfully sure about what will happen next. News pundits, op-ed columnists, and politicians all seem certain they know exactly what will happen. Not to mention psychics and tarot card readers.

With that in mind, how do you think about what tomorrow will bring?

Perhaps you view the future with optimism. Tomorrow, you might expect, will be better than today. But, of course, there is no guarantee that this is true.

Or you might think that instead, we can expect the future to be very much like the present (or the past). After all, the sun rose yesterday, it rose this morning, and it will rise tomorrow. But we know that sometimes there are changes, including big ones. The COVID-19 pandemic caught nearly everyone by surprise, and that was an obvious case where the future (say, April 2020) didn’t resemble the past (February 2020).

When you think about the future, how do you make predictions, and how do you react to those predictions? What does that mean for your present?

Related questions: Should we try to predict the future? How much does your past determine your future? Will the future be better than the present? How do you plan for the future?

How Does The Change Of Season Impact You?

As we transition from summer to autumn (at least in the northern hemisphere), how does the change of season impact you? What are some of the difference you notice, and have the most impact?

Share why if you wish.

If You Could Change One Thing About Your Home, What Would It Be?

Have you thought about what changes would improve your home? What if money, time, or effort weren’t an issue?

Share why if you wish.

What Will You Do Today To Make Your Tomorrow Better?

The idea of a better tomorrow is very appealing. To get there, however, will take action, preferably today. What action are you taking?

To some extent, we understand the power we have when it comes to shaping the future. We know that if we want to have a flourishing garden, we need to plant the seeds and water them first.

This illustrates that the action we take today — planting the seeds — leads to what we want tomorrow — a garden.

So, with that in mind, what metaphorical seeds do you want to plant and nourish? What do you hope to eventually harvest and share with your community?

There is a concept known as the butterfly effect: a butterfly flapping its wings in Brazil can lead to a hurricane half a world away. That is, a small change in initial conditions can lead to a massive impact at a different place and later time.

This idea is often used in time-travel stories. Stepping out of a time machine, a story’s protagonist accidentally steps on an insect, then finds the future altered beyond recognition.

But the same idea can work in the present. One small action now, properly positioned, can have deep and lasting impacts on what comes next.

So, with that in mind, what can you do in this direction? What is the better future you want, and what are the steps today to be taken to achieve it?

Related questions: How much does your past determine your future? Will the future be better than the present? Should we try to predict the future? How do you set priorities?