Change + Resilience = ?

We all see it; in one way or another, we are seeing our world change.?For some, you’re seeing post after post describing layoffs, “reducing redundancy”, acquisitions, civil rights injustices, and the fallout from the over-hiring many companies resorted to during the COVID pandemic.?For others, you’re seeing the uncertainty of the job market, the effects of an impending recession, economic chaos, or the unstable stock market.?Whatever it is you’re seeing, it may be causing you to feel fearful, anxious, angry, or even depressed.?Why? I think it’s because we, as humans, feel uncomfortable in most situations that we have little control.?Mathematics can teach us a lesson on uncertainty.?

**Sidebar** those of you who know me, know how I feel about math, so – this will be elementary

In statistics, standard deviation calculates all uncertainty as risk.?Humans fear risk because it is difficult for most to balance their emotions with logic in decision making.?High emotion can cause impulsive decisions or overwhelming fear and anxiety.?I’m no psychologist or mathematician, however, I am a curious optimist and try to make sense out of the challenges in life.?All this to say, I’m seeing changes happen all around me to include job insecurity, unnatural weather, inflation, injustice in the world around us and in business.?I don’t think anyone has all the answers to what is going on now, but I believe that we have a choice as to “how” we react to the uncertainty in our lives.?

Recently I have found myself talking about resiliency and uncertainty more than usual.?Each of us faces challenges every single day that are unique to our individual lives, jobs, families, and communities.?As an optimistic person, I want to see the silver lining in every dark cloud.?I want to see the “happy ending” or as I say at home “the Hallmark ending”.?I believe that everything does happen for a reason, although we may not know the reasoning until we’re further down the road. I believe that humans have an innate means of resilience we are born with; some might call it survival mode.?

In times that we feel the uncertainty of our lives getting out of control, we must dig deep and find that innate resilience that keeps us going.?We might need to talk about it with our trusted friends or family.?Sometimes, our emotional side will create a larger illusion of uncertainty that creates the fear and anxiety.?It happens.?We are human, we all have emotions.?But, as rational adults, we have to find ways to move beyond those obstacles back into a more stable state that provides more comfort, confidence, and strength.?We can’t fix all the problems of the world, but we are not alone.?There are others who feel the same things we are feeling.?Sometimes all we have to do is take the hand of the ones close to us and walk into that wall of uncertainty together, knowing, that whatever happens, will happen but we’ll go through it together.?

Bad business decisions will continue to be made, injustices will continue to happen, freak storms will still pop up, but we can weather them better together.?Use your emotions to fight for good.?Choose integrity, choose truth, choose diversity, choose peace.?Choose to be the difference.?Overcoming obstacles will make us stronger, more confident, and more understanding.?Use your fears to create solutions.?Use your mind to bring ideas that extinguish the fear.?Use your curiosity to ask the "why” so that mistakes will not happen again.?Look at uncertainty as a risk then determine how much risk you’re willing to take for your Hallmark ending.??