Change.
One word.
One concept.
It’s one fact of life that is unavoidable for everyone alive. Change, whether we like it or not, remains the one constant in all of life.
What is “change” to you?
Is it a noun———an abstract concept that you feel disassociated from because you’re currently unaffected by it? Is it a verb——–an event that’s you’re consciously choosing to put in effect? Or worse——-is it a verb that is being enforced upon you by outside forces?
Usually, if you’re of a mind where you’re comfortable with the majority of the changes in your life being forced on you by things beyond your control, then I’m here to sound the alarm to alert you that you’ve chosen to live your life from a less than optimum position.
Anytime that you allow yourself to only passively accept change into your life instead of also just as actively seeking it, then know that you are putting yourself at the mercy of situations, circumstances, and decisions of other people. It’s always a better idea to take a much more aggressive stance toward the outcome of your own future. Also, know that in order to accomplish this mission; the first major step to becoming a better man tomorrow than you are today begins with the realization that you are not always simply the victim of circumstances.
You CAN indeed initiate changes in your own life.
Any man who wants to get better with women, any man who wants to get better in his career, and any man who wants to get better at life as a whole must be willing to do what it takes to achieve that goal. The truth about change is that it can come in two forms:
There are sudden changes and there are subtle changes.
Sudden changes are happenings that more often than not are the result of events associated with a strong element of surprise. Meanwhile, subtle changes are those that happen in our lives as a result of a consistent, steadily advancing process that we experience gradually———as opposed to experiencing it as a jarring disruption to our everyday lives.
On the mission to accomplish becoming a better man today than we were yesterday, many of us find that sudden changes are mostly bad because they come about due to us being hit with a crisis, while subtle changes are mostly good because we’re better able to make the needed adjustments to compensate for them due to their gradualness. In other words, the less abrupt the change is that we have to compensate for, the better our chances of responding to them to our greatest benefit.
An impromptu, non-scientific, and anecdotal survey of men revealed that the majority believe that most sudden changes are bad while most subtle changes are good.
But is this really true?
Many would say that winning the lottery can be considered a positive sudden change, while having your self-worth destroyed because it’s being chipped away as the result of you staying in a bad relationship for one bad day too many is a negative subtle change. So again, it’s clearly understandable that both of these forms of change can easily flip flop from positive to negative and back again in the blink of an eye.
However, for the purposes of this Command Post, and for the sake of providing food for thought, let’s take the stance that it’s mostly true that sudden change is bad and subtle change is good. What would make this so? Well, if you take into account that many sudden changes are things that happen to us while many subtle changes are things that we make happen for us——-then the point that I’m making should be quite clear:
The more active the role you choose to take in your own life——-the better.
The reason why many sudden changes can have potentially devastating effects on our lives is because we’re usually not prepared for them. Every sudden event in life, whether it be positive, negative, or neutral can only help us or hurt us to the extent of how well we are equipped, trained, and ready to handle it. By contrast, subtle changes, those incremental distinctions that we notice happening in our lives are often easier for us to handle because our current capacity to meet these potential challenges is more on par with our present degree of awareness, training, and readiness. Another interesting thing about change is that even when some sudden changes are good, the “goodness” that come from them are still tied to the subtle growth process that we undergo during the process of adjusting to them.
So what’s the best solution here? What’s the best way to view change?
The best way to view change is for YOU to arm yourself as fully as possible and strategically go out to meet change first——-without waiting for it to come meet you. As much as it’s within your power, take steps every day to make maneuvers that you are hopeful will result in bringing changes into your life that are targeted towards your benefit.
Though none of us know the future, all of us can affect the future. Make the tools that you use to change your life fit whatever circumstance you’re presently in.
Decide what you can do today, that could make your life better tomorrow. Use whatever physical, mental, financial, or spiritual weapon that you have at your disposal to blast away at your comfort zone in order to get to enjoy an even better life tomorrow. Make a quality decision to do whatever is best for you to do in this moment to get you to higher ground in regards to getting the most out of your life.
- Does changing your current financial circumstances call for you to start working longer hours, switching careers, or starting your own business? Then, do it.
- Does changing a frustrating, depressing, or dire situation in your life call for you to pray or seek spiritual council or guidance? Then, do it.
- Does changing your dismal dating outlook call for you to expand your search to meet new women by going to places that you’ve never gone before? Then, do it.
- Does changing the widening emotional distance you feel between you and your child and/or children call for you to do more on your part to build a more civil, workable relationship with their mother? Then, do it.
- Does changing your energy level, the amount of prescriptions you take, or your overall appearance call for you to workout more and eat better? Then, do it.
- Does changing a lot of the lackluster results that you keep getting in your life call for you to pull a George Costanza and start doing the exact opposite of what you usually do just to see if that gets you better results? Then, do it.
Notice in all the examples outlined above, the need for change is motivated by the recognition that you must do something to create a better circumstance——a desire has risen within you to experience something different than what you may be experiencing right now. However, on the other hand, what also needs to be pointed out is that sometimes change is still needed when things are actually still going right——-not just when they’re obviously going wrong. Many a man has lost good women, lost great jobs, been passed up for big promotions, or simply missed out on a multitude of bigger life-blessings as a direct result of resting on his laurels a little too long or coasting on the good will of his past performance a little too much.
Though it’s a truism that change just for change’s sake is often lunacy, there is still much to be said for developing, at least, a seasonal habit of running a status check on the most important factors that add up to your quality of life. Are you living in a comfort zone that has also lulled you into a state of complacency? Are you taking your health, your relationships, your family, your job, or any other things of value to your quality of life for granted?
If you are, know that though it’s true that doing the same old good things over and over again will get you the same results, over time, unless you also consciously and strategically choose to do some “new” good things——-the positive effects of your results could possibly begin to erode. Failure to be vigilant over their lives by choosing to spice it up, add variety to it, and build new layers upon the solid foundations that they’ve already laid are what turns most men’s Comfort Zones into potential Danger Zones.
So what do you do to escape the motivational malaise that can come from riding too long on an old wave of success? What you do is find your inspiration to make new positive changes in your life by reliving the memory of how great the feelings of victory were the moment your last positive changes occurred. From here on out, make it a point to occasionally remind yourself of this truth:
Most of the positive, character-building changes that happen in our lives that make us feel good about ourselves are those that we believe that we have at least some control over as opposed to those that we believe we have no control over.
So as you read these last words, decide:
What change are you gonna make today that will make your life better tomorrow???
Listen!
Do you hear that sound coming from behind you? It’s the sound of TIME marching on. And it will continue to march on until we all reach whatever our destinies will be. By choice or by force, our destinies await us either way. So do you want to lead the way or would you rather be dragged all the way.
MAKE changes, soldiers.
Don’t always just sit back and let changes make YOU.
~Victory Unlimited © 2011