In life, we all face challenges. It’s how we deal with those challenges that defines us. Do we allow ourselves to be defeated by them, or do we find a way to rise above them?
It’s all too easy to get caught up in the negative. To focus on what’s going wrong rather than what’s going right. And when we’re in that mindset, it can feel like everything is working against us. But the fact of the matter is, our perspective matters. A lot. What we choose to focus on—the glass half full or the glass half empty—makes all the difference in the world.
One of the most important things you can do when faced with a challenge is to shift your paradigm. A paradigm is basically a mindset—the way you think about and view the world around you. And if your paradigm is one of empowerment, then you’re far more likely to find solutions to the challenges you face, rather than getting bogged down in blaming others or feeling like a victim.
So how do you shift into an empowering paradigm? Let’s take a look.
- Acknowledge that you can’t control everything. One of the first steps to shifting your paradigm is acknowledging that you’re not in control of everything that happens in your life. Things will happen—that’s just a fact of life. You can’t control the actions of others, and you can’t control everything that happens to you. But what you can control is how you react to those things.
- Choose your response. Once you’ve acknowledged that you’re not in control of everything, it’s time to choose your response. You may not be able to control what happens, but you are in control of how you react to it. So when something happens that’s outside of your control, take a step back and choose the response that will serve you best. Maybe it’s anger, maybe it’s sadness, or maybe it’s acceptance. Whatever it is, choose wisely, as your response will determine how the situation plays out. It’s your response-ability.
- Embrace change. Change is inevitable—both in our personal lives and in the business world. If we want to succeed, we have to learn to embrace change and adapt to it. When something changes, don’t get stuck in thinking about how things used to be — focus on how things are now, and what you can do to make the most of the new situation .
- Be solution-oriented. When we’re faced with a problem, it can be tempting to dwell on all the ways that things could go wrong. However, if we want to be successful, it’s important that we focus on finding solutions rather than dwelling on potential problems . When confronted with a challenge, take a deep breath and ask yourself “What is the solution here? ” By focusing on finding solutions, we open ourselves up to possibilities instead of getting bogged down in negativity.
- Take responsibility for your results. It’s easy to play the blame game when things don’t go our way . However, if we want to be successful, it’s important that we take responsibility for our own results . It doesn’t matter who or what is responsible for the current situation — what matters is what you’re going to do about it. So instead of spending energy blaming others, focus on taking action and doing whatever is necessary to achieve the results you want.
- Believe in yourself. The final step in shifting your paradigm is believing in yourself —no matter what happened in your past or what challenges you currently face, believe that anything is possible if you set your mind to it and take action towards achieving it. The sky truly is the limit! Just because someone else said it couldn’t be done doesn’t mean that it can’t—believe in yourself and go for it!
When we’re bogged down by problems, it can be difficult to see things clearly. But if we take a step back and remind ourselves of all that we’ve accomplished “in spite of the fact,” it can give us a much-needed boost of confidence. We all have faced—and continue to face—challenges and setbacks. But it’s important to remember that we’re not defined by those challenges; we’re defined by how we choose to respond to them.
Paradigms are simply mindsets—the way we think about and view the world around us. And if our paradigms are ones of empowerment, then we’re far more likely to find solutions rather than getting bogged down feeling like victims every time a challenge arises. So if you want to live an empowered life full of possibilities, put these tips into practice next time life throws you curveballs!