How to Deal with Change
Did you know that your brain's preferred system, also known as its "default mode,” is built on the ability to create stability and the ability to be known? Black and white works well; grey is usually not so popular. That is why people easily reach back to old, well-known routes, because their minds are programmed to embrace predictability in uncertain times. Reminiscing about the good old days, when everything was known and familiar, is the order of the day. It is no wonder that in this new world where the only constant is change, things like burn-out, anger, anxiety and uncertainty abound. While Tom Friedman in 2005 wrote that the world is flat, then in 2008 he said it’s "hot, flat and crowded.” These days it’s fluid. Nothing is the same anymore - church, politics, sport, studies - name it and its changed. Maybe that is why Bob Dylan could sing in 1964: "The times are a changing," but in 2000 he chose to sing: "Things have changed."
We need to deal with change. We have to adapt. How? Well, in John Kotter and Dan Cohen's 2012 book The Heart of Change, they show that the path of change does not follow the order of "ANALYZE, THINK, CHANGE,” but that it rather goes the long way of "SEE, FEEL, CHANGE." Since change goes hand in hand with overcoming uncertainty, our minds' rational systems are always reluctant. Change happens easier and quicker when people's feelings are addressed. Emotion overrides logic when change is on the horizon. When we see right, and feel right, we move forward with ease and that is much easier than trying to move from point A to B through rational arguments and threats alone.
The right kind of SEEING and FEELING routes always leads to the right kind of mind shifts. Researchers have found for example that students that saw processed the visual images of a specific piano lesson in their minds already unlocked a process of fluidity in growth in that area of their brains that has to do with the movement of fingers while playing piano. John Arden writes that "mental practice alone contributes to the rewiring of the brain” (Rewire Your Brain: Think Your Way to a Better Life). Change starts in your mind – I mean that kind of change that you need to feel and see inside of you. Think differently to feel differently to live differently - that should be your new life rhythm. Remember Paul's words in Colossians 3:2 that we must focus our eyes on Christ's world. Or perhaps his words in 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 that we shouldn't focus our eyes on the things that are seen, but rather on that which is not seen.