This is what I hear from people all the time. I mean, I even find myself saying the same thing. But, I believe you will agree with me if I say that there will be no old normal. And the new normal is something that can be better or worse, depending on what we do with the situation we have now.
As a Personal-Professional Development coach, my role is not just to encourage others but to help others become better in their personal and professional lives.
I want to see you have a better new normal.
The other day, while I was having some quiet time, I got my book, Simplify to Intensify, and started reading a Chapter. All of a sudden it dawned on me that the principles I shared in this book are so crucial to what we're going through at this time, and how we can come out as better people.
The first principle I wrote in this book is STREAMLINE AND REMAP.
I wrote ...
"To remap is to lay out in a new pattern, or to map again. It is a redirection, reassignment, and realignment.
Incidentally, remapping also refers to tuning an engine for better performance or fuel efficiency. Most modern vehicles contain an ECU (or Engine Control Unit) that is effectively a small computer which controls how the engine works. Vehicle manufacturers de-tune the engine by setting the software on the ECU to default before sending the vehicle out. Vehicle remapping is basically defined as the modification and/or replacementof the manufacture’s default software on a vehicle’s ECU.
Remapping and Default go hand-in-hand. To remap is not simply to lay a new platform to redirect our activities, but to also change our default. The default includes our old ways of thinking and patterns of behavior. This default gets in the way of streamlining because our brain is programmed to go back to what it is used to.
Is this making sense to you? Have you wondered why you keep going back to old ways of doing things?"
The crazy thing is: most of the time it takes a shock treatment for us to start changing our behaviors. And it seems like nature has a way of pulling us back. It seems like God Himself calls our attention so we can start changing for the better, if not best. Honestly, I had no clue that this "remapping" principle will be so valuable for such a time as this.
“But no one who drinks the old wine seems to want the new wine. ‘The old is just fine,’ they say.” Luke 5:39
"Oh yeah … “the old is just fine” because we have gotten so used to it. This is why there are people who stay in abusive relationships. They prefer staying in a place they are familiar with than try something new and unfamiliar. “The old is just fine”.
Until you change your default, your mind will keep going back to old ways of thinking and doing things. No matter how you try to streamline, you will always go back to the same old pattern. Even if you cut off activities and people from your life, you will simply return to them, or fill up the space with something very similar.
You can’t change the default if there is nothing to change it to. You need to have new wine first. You can’t change the default if you don’t even know what it is."
What is your default?
Whatever you're struggling with right now are areas where change or adjustment are needed. These areas are where the defaults are.
Ask yourself these questions:
What am I struggling with?
What caused these struggles? What was I thinking?
What can I do to change these?
Let me give you an example.
A woman in her mid-40's has been wanting to start a business that she's so passionate about, but didn't have the confidence to finally start. She's been working two jobs and has been procrastinating on planning for her dream business. There's just always something else to do during her free time. Then, this crisis hit the country and she lost both jobs.
If I were to use the same questions above, my answer will look like this.
I am struggling financially right now. I postponed starting my dream business and securing my financial situation better. I was scared to do it and postponed planning for it. I am not going to waste any more time. I am going to start planning now. I don't care what it takes.
The new default is: I am not going to waste any more time.
You may need to shift to a new career to give you more time for your family, or you may need to modify your existing business, or just like the example I shared, you may need to finally start planning for your dream business.
Your new default is what you will commit to. It is going to be your new mindset. It is the new you. It is going to be your new future normal.
If you're planning to finally start a business, this video will be of help to you. And even if this video is not for you, please share it with others who you know will benefit from it.