Changes, great and small, happen in our lives nearly every day. Thankfully, we have a choice in how we respond to them. If you choose to think less about the actual changes and focus more on how you react to them, you will be successfully employing what we call the three Ps of resilience – perseverance, persistence and patience.
I have used these my entire life as I have very humbling and successfully dealt with life changes in overcoming a physical disability known as Cerebral Palsy. CP is a birth defect that severely affects the way I walk and my balance. I used to be nearly a scratch “par” golfer in my early 20s but have had to overcome significant mobility changes now that I am nearing my mid-50s. I have used my perseverance, persistence and patience to literally dust myself off after literally falling more that 1,000 times in my life.
I also had to be very adaptive and focused early in my working career when a supervisor did things for me that I didn’t ask him to do. He would schedule meetings close to my office and get me lunch nearly every day from a couple floors down. I had to very gently sit him down one day and talk through how I wanted to be treated like any “normal” employee. By focusing and applying the three Ps, I was able to find common ground with him, construct a positive conversation and, at the same time, show how much I truly appreciated his kindness with me.
How does my personal example apply to your unique circumstances at work and in life?
At think2perform, we suggest you think less about the actual changes and focus more on how you react to them in a healthy and productive way. Those of us who overcome consistently find ways to stop spinning and chart a path to navigate through possibly uncharted waters.
That’s why applying our three Ps resilience triangle of perseverance, persistence and patience is so important as you deal with such life moments.
The triangle, which you can see in the diagram, shows our individual self at the center, which begins with self-awareness. The three Ps form strategies around us that we can apply in challenging or even good times.
We highlight such change strategies in much greater detail in our comprehensive leadership, emotional intelligence and resiliency programming/presentations for corporations, groups and individuals. In short:
– Perseverance guides you towards the most practical ways to adapt, look for common ground and manage expectations no matter the changes that come your way.
– Persistence helps to not let changes steer you away from the healthy path expected for your life and career.
– Patience allows you to step back and determine how to successfully overcome or benefit from any life changes.
Unfortunately, all of us have been knocked down or affected by change in our personal or professional worlds in one way or another. No matter our position or circumstances, changes sometimes occur when we least expect. By using our three Ps model, it shows a blueprint to make “change” work for us and get through those inevitable moments.
It is what you choose to focus on that is the key differentiator on how you respond to change. While you can’t control everything in life, you have the ultimate choice to apply your resilience as needed or not.
If you are interested in learning more about the three Ps, increasing your ability to navigate change personally and professionally or a multitude of other topics designed to produce sustained optimal performance, please contact us at think2perform.com. Also, visit our additional site at resiliencyfirst.com.
We hope you are enjoying life today!
