Change is a Human Game - The Unchanged Core of Human Nature

Navigating a fast-paced world? Timeless principles like liminality, resilience, and self-determination still hold the key. Our ancestors mastered the game of change, and you can too. This article dives into these core ideas and adds surprising factors like FOMO and the Zeigarnik Effect. Learn how these age-old tactics keep you ahead in a changing world.

Our tech evolves at a breakneck pace. But what about us? Human nature stays the same. The same fears, desires, and biases that shaped our ancestors shape us today. Whether it's group belonging or fear of the unknown, these psychological anchors have held firm for millennia.

Our Ancestors: The Original Change Managers

You're reading this article. That means your ancestors dealt with change. They had to. They faced famines, wars, and migrations. They made choices. Some were thrust upon them; others they willingly embraced. If they hadn't adapted, you wouldn't be here.

The Ever-Present VUCA World

"VUCA" stands for Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity. We think it's a modern problem. But the world has always been VUCA. Our forebears lived with the same volatile and uncertain elements. What's different now is the scale, not the nature.

Complexity and Timeless Coping Mechanisms

Things may seem more complex today. That might be true. But to manage change successfully, old principles still work. They've worked for thousands of years. And they'll keep working.

Key Principles of Human Change

Here are some foundational principles rooted in the psychology of human change:

• Liminality: This is the in-between phase in any transition. It's uncomfortable but also a space for growth. Embrace it.
• Self-Determination: People like to feel they have control. Give them the tools to shape their destiny, and they're more likely to adapt successfully.
• Resilience: It's the art of bouncing back. Cultivate it within your team to weather any change.
• Curiosity: It's the spark for all human advancement. Keep asking questions. It's how we evolve.
• Empathy: Understanding another's feelings helps in guiding them through change.
• Clear Communication: Misunderstandings can sink ships. Clear dialogue can steer through the stormiest change.
• Emotional Intelligence: Knowing what you and others feel, and why, can make the process of change smoother.
• Intersubjective Realities: Shared beliefs let humans rise to the top. We built societies on common myths and goals. This shared reality helps us adapt as a group.
• Cognitive Dissonance: When new facts clash with old beliefs, tension arises. This tension can drive change. People may update their views to align with the new reality.
• Sunk Cost Fallacy: People often stick with a bad choice due to past investment. Recognizing this fallacy can spur a necessary change.
• Social Proof: We look to others for cues on how to behave. Leveraging social proof can help lead a group through change.
• Fear of Missing Out (FOMO): This feeling can be a motivator. It can push people to adapt, to not be left behind.
• The Zeigarnik Effect: Unfinished tasks stick in our minds. This lingering thought can motivate us to complete a change process once it's started.

Play the Human Game

If you want to win in this world of constant change, master these principles. They've stood the test of time because they focus on what makes us human. And that's a game you can always win.

Takeaways

1. Change is constant; mastering it makes you unstoppable.
2. Liminality embraced becomes the pathway to growth.
3. Resilience is not just bouncing back but bouncing forward.
4. Self-determination: Give yourself the wheel, steer your own course.
5. Emotional intelligence: Know feelings to smooth out change's rough edges.
6. Clear communication cuts through complexity, lights the way.
7. Curiosity cracks open change, turns it into opportunity.
8. Sunk cost ignored paves the path to better choices.
9. FOMO fuels action; use it to push forward.
10. Zeigarnik Effect: Unfinished tasks motivate, fuel your change journey.

...an example - The Story of a Lifetime: How My Grandmother Mastered the Human Game of Change

My grandmother (and millions of others) is a testament to human resilience and adaptability to change. Born in the crucible of World War I in 1916, she faced the Spanish flu as a child and survived. A pandemic took millions of lives worldwide, but not hers.

Liminality & Self-Determination

The Great Depression rolled in just as she was finding her footing in adulthood. Money was tight, but she married my grandfather. Soon after, he was sent to fight in World War II. These were liminal times, filled with uncertainty. Yet, she took charge of her destiny, embracing the in-between while making tough choices and raising two children.

Resilience & Emotional Intelligence

Four years passed with her husband away. She'd watch the 'telegram man' walk the street every week. He carried news of war deaths to waiting families. She hoped he would pass by her home. Her husband did return, unlike many others. During these years, her resilience was her shield. Emotional intelligence helped her manage the highs and lows.

Curiosity & Clear Communication

Post-war life was hard. Rationing was the norm. She raised two kids amidst scarcity. Yet, she remained curious about the world and what it could offer her family. She also knew the value of clear communication, especially when resources were limited.

Empathy & Social Proof

Her husband died in 1975. Her father in 1976 her son in 1978, and her mother in 1987. She was a widow for 21 years. Empathy from her family and community helped her through the loss. She served as social proof for others on how to age with grace, imparting lessons on adapting to life's hardest changes.

Cognitive Dissonance & Sunk Cost Fallacy

My grandmother faced new facts that clashed with old beliefs throughout her life. She navigated cognitive dissonance by being flexible in her thinking. She also recognized the sunk cost fallacy when clinging to the past wasn't helpful.

The Zeigarnik Effect & FOMO

She always had goals; things left undone that kept her going—the Zeigarnik Effect at work. And even in her later years, a bit of FOMO kept her engaged with life, not wanting to miss out on what her grandchildren and great-grandchildren were doing.

Intersubjective Realities

Most of all, my grandmother believed in the power of community and shared realities. She was a part of various social groups and understood that collective beliefs and myths could offer comfort and a sense of belonging.

In Conclusion

My grandmother's life, and the lives of countless others, shows us the timeless nature of human adaptability. The principles that helped her navigate a turbulent century are the same ones that can guide us through our fast-paced lives. Change is indeed a human game, and she played it well.