Power of I During Times of Challenge

Change—the one constant in life, often leaves us feeling both exhilarated and apprehensive. Whether it’s a personal transformation, a shift in our work environment, or societal upheaval, we find ourselves navigating uncharted waters more often than not. In these moments, the letter “I” becomes our compass—a small but potent symbol of self-awareness and intention. Harnessing the Power of I therefore becomes crucial to not only survive but thrive during times of flux.

We as a society have gone through a lot, especially in the last few years. The COVID pandemic, wars between nations, natural disasters, social unrest pertaining to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, economic strain caused by a host of macro and micro level factors, political uncertainty, reorganizations within corporations, and mass layoffs, to name a few. These trials and tribulations have shaped our lives creating tension, pressure and stress and left us grappling with uncertainty. Knowing our limited ability to have an immediate, direct, positive impact on these tumultuous events has created trepidation with no promise of solace.?

Yet, we need to prevail, perform and provide. We have responsibilities, people depend on us and we owe it to ourselves to do what is needed to not just physically function but to emotionally be well. No matter how much chaos surround us, being able to center ourselves amidst the chaos and uncertainty is critical to being able to visualize a better next day, define a plan of action and execute.?

One of the starting points to evoking the Power of I and igniting action towards a direction that we have control over is to Accept the situation we are going through.

Accept

Whether it is a loss of a job, a missed opportunity, a separation from a loved one or an unexpected detour, it is important to Accept what is happening or has already taken place. Doing so will allow us to be free from denial and provide us the clarity and focus we need to take the necessary steps to move forward. The sooner we Accept, less time will be spent in the realms of ambiguity, anger and confusion - unproductive frames of mind that detract us from heading where we need to. Acceptance is the quiet revolution that sets us free.

Once we Accept, it is crucial to Reflect, in order to assess the situation with as much objectivity as we can muster.

Reflect

It is imperative that we take the time to, Reflect with purpose - intentionally set aside time to analyze. We need to dissect the situation to decipher the actions or the lack thereof, that led to the unexpected outcomes. “How do I need to behave or execute differently to potentially experience different consequences?” or, “how should I think differently to avoid similar situations in the future?” are questions we need to ask ourselves when Reflecting with purpose. Doing so allows us to pause and sort through our thoughts, feelings, observations and experiences which in turn enhances self awareness. Reflecting with purpose also facilitates learning and fuels growth by encouraging our minds to be open to new opportunities and thinking patterns. Reflection isn’t judgment; it’s illumination.

The next pivotal step is to have the courage to be open to the idea of Reinventing. Armed with the knowledge we have ascertained through purposeful Reflection, Reinventing sets the foundation to leaving the past behind and focusing on the future.

Reinvent

Reinvention is naturally met with apprehension due to the fear of the unknown and the divergence from the known. When our tried-and-true techniques falter, Reinvention beckons. Marshall Goldsmith’s wisdom - “What Got You Here Won’t Get You There” - echoes through time. It’s permission to pivot. When we are open to the notion of Reinventing, it brings out the creativity in us. Creativity, coupled with our logical reasoning and knowledge gleaned from our past experiences helps visualize a different future and devise a plan to help realize that future. We may need to iterate the plan to ensure feasibility; the trick is to be patient with ourselves until the plan crystallizes, in order to facilitate a smooth execution.?

Reinventing could take the shape of a different career path, new strategy to advocate for the next promotion, different marketing strategy to find new clients, exploring a different industry, exploring new techniques to cope with a loss of a loved one, adopting new tactics to overcome an addiction or relocating to a new country. The unknown can be frightening but a good strategy to change course will help put things at ease. Having faith in ourselves is crucial - if what makes us ‘us’ helped us get this far, it will be the north star, that pillar of strength, for the remainder of the journey too.

Typically, the immediate next step to formulating a plan is to execute it. However, I find it necessary that we generate a level of confidence and enthusiasm in support of the plan in order to drive a smooth execution.

Ignite

I have had a number of successes in my life. However, the level of fulfillment each of them brought has been different. I have found that the highest level of gratification I felt were for those successes that I drove with a high dose of belief, energy and enthusiasm. Getting excited about our carefully crafted plan because we truly believe in it will take our mind off the challenges we are encountering and focus on something new, positive and productive.

No seed will bear fruit until you plant it. Once we define our end goal and a strategy to accomplish it, we need to overcome the inertia and Implement it.

Implement

Fear of the unknown, fear of failure, fear of surpassing our comfort zone are all inhibitors that could keep us from Implementing our carefully formulated plan. Shattering these barriers however is essential to Implementing our blueprint, which in turn will bring us closer to realizing our refined vision for the future.?

As many of us have experienced in the past, any well thought out strategy will be met with roadblocks. The secret to navigating through them is to have the strength to Refine the game plan and keep at it.

Refine

Assessing our progress against our defined plan of action and Refining it needs to be done regularly, especially since we have launched on a new path. Along the way we will identify tweaks we need to make, actions we need to shy away from and best practices we need to adopt. If we have a laser sharp focus on our new end goal, we will shift our mindset to see mistakes we make as lessons learned and stumbling blocks we encounter as elements to further strengthen our final destination. Refinement is not defeat - it is evolution.

When going through challenging times, Accepting things the way they are, taking the time to Reflect, thinking critically to Reinvent, gathering up the strength to Ignite enthusiasm and generating the energy to Implement and regularly Refine will not come easy. Yet, there is only one person who can make it happen and that person is YOU. Power of I is not arrogance - it is belief - it is confidence - it is the wind in our sails. If we believe in ourselves and believe in the Power of I, despite the challenges, we will inch closer to that distant shore - the fulfillment of our vision.