ARE YOU IN THE RIGHT SPOT?

By: Dr. Christina Augustine (Chris)

“Life is a matter of CHOICES, and every choice you make, MAKES You.” —John C. Maxwell

This truth resonates so much….aren’t we a bundle of our choices? Think about the choices you have made so far, and which has brought you this far. We are what we chose to be. It could be choosing your course to study, career to progress, your current employer or your companion to connect. Some choices you are proud of and some you regret.

Do you know? On an average 4 out of 10 choices you have made, are bound towards regret. In a recent research, Davidai, S., & Gilovich, T. (2018) shows most people (72 percent) feel regret related to their ideal self versus actual self. What does this mean? It explains, that they state an action, which was not taken that would have helped them realize their ideal self. The judgment behind regret is “I should have done this differently.” (https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/emo0000326)

How has been your choices so far? Especially through this pandemic, trying, uncertain times.Few factors to consider to escape the “Regret Blues”. I hope these tools, at least curtail your “regret rates”, as you press on with your daily choices. Let me posit, the most important components to introspect and I would call it the”G-L-U-E” to beat Regret!

G-GROWTH:

I love these two water bodies in Israel, which is fed by River Jordan, indeed I had a memorable time being there. One is the Sea of Galilee, Israel’s largest freshwater lake, filled with fish and simply scenic. The other one is the Dead Sea, which is 1300 feet below sea level and the salt content is 10 times saltier than any ocean. No living thing of any kind live in or around or near the water. The only one difference between these two bodies of water is, the Sea of Galilee, that takes water from the river, and then it gives water back to the river. The water simply passes through the Sea of Galilee, as a result it is full of life and beauty. The Dead Sea, on the other hand, only takes water to itself, but it gives NOTHING back, just stagnates, as a result it is barren and lifeless. The Sea of Galilee is a “conduit of life”, while the Dead Sea is a “carrier of death”. What about you? Are you growing or rotting where you are? To add, are you growing or rotting the people around you?

L-LEARNING:

According to psychologist, Hermann Ebbinghaus, study on memory (1885), he demonstrated that humans rapidly forget approximately 50% of new information, within an hour of learning it. That goes up to an average of 70% within 24 hours. With this kind of innate tendencies, how are you building and retaining your knowledge and skills in this digital information age. Does the current spot enables and spurs your learning curve? Does it compels you to move towards excellence? How sharp are your relevant, transferable skills? If you are a jobseeker or an entrepreneur, no doubt your transferable skills can lure you quickly to land a job or with a breakthrough business opportunity even though, you are not the perfect match for the job description. Go ahead reskill, upskill and cross skill. The best time to do is now, not tomorrow. To thrive through this VUCA world, do not deter anymore in accelerating your daily learning time.

U- USE YOUR NETWORK

Everything is about Connection. Yes, your network defines your “Net Worth”. A strong network is not built overnight, but over a lot of years.As you know, 85% of job positions are filled through networking; 70% of people found a job through connections in a company. However, we still observe, 1 in 4 don’t network at all or just spasmodic; 41% of networkers want to network more frequently, but don’t have enough time. How do you leverage your network through these trying pandemic times? Does your connections add value, strength and power to you?

Today, one may have thousands of connections, but does this connection, make any value to you or vice versa. What is the “Quality” of your connections? In networking the “Quality of your Connections” overtakes the “Quantity of your Connections”. You may agree with the famous adage “It is not “What” you know, but “Who” you know matters!” Network starts from your family, its extensions, ripples into your school, social life, workplace and across the community. There is no dimension of your life that eliminates the power of Networking. When you continue to invest in your network intentionally, it will grow exponentially in its quality. Wider & Deeper. If networking is a way of life, how do you engage, communicate and retain your connections? What strategic approach do you adopt and practice daily? Networking involves communication. As you know, communication is mostly nonverbal, therefore it becomes a bit intricate in this digital age. Yes, the words you say are just 7% of what others perceive; the other 38% come from the way you speak. And in fact, 55% of communication depends on your facial expressions and posture.So, if you’re confident, you’ve got 93% of communication covered. With life becoming more virtual than in person, the power of networking has become even more indispensable to thrive for excellence and influence.

E- EXTRA MERCY

Do you wake up feeling stranded, overwhelmed or anxious? Or are you harrowed by sunday night blues? If so, you may want to pause, introspect and reflect on where you are. Voluminous research reiterates, that sleep deprivation and Regret Blues goes hand in hand.

Every morning is a “New day, New story, New Power”, it is like an unused book of cheque leaves and how you use it depends on you and your choices. Each one of us are endorsed with new and equitable pack of mercies, which is surplus for everyday. And today is not yesterday and you have a chance to make amends. Indeed, a new opportunity to learn about yourself and others. It could be about your innate preferences, morals, quirks, and areas to improve. Change is at your fingertips! So release yourself from your past, press forward. When the going gets tough, sharpen your saw all the more (Stephen Covey 2003, 7th Habit). Daily renewal is a must. How do you go about your daily recharge? I have evidenced the power of daily meditation, a simply transformational practice to soar high on this “Extra Mercy” to invade the unknown with the supernatural power from the Almighty. Yes it beats your tormenting fear, guilt, shame and irrational worries, optimizing you in self care, joy and move you to above par efficiencies and effectiveness.

Practice G-L-U-E to thrive! Way to go my friend!!