SHIFT YOUR PARADIGM
Updated: Apr 9, 2020
Your paradigm is so intrinsic to your mental process that you are hardly aware of its existence, until you try to communicate with someone with a different paradigm.”
~Donella Meadows~
The dictionary defines a paradigm as a mind set, a habit, a belief or a conviction about something. We all have paradigms, and having a paradigm in itself, is neither good nor bad. In fact, it is perfectly normal to have paradigms, so what’s the big deal? Well the fact is, not all paradigms are positive, and that’s why we sometimes need to ‘shift our paradigms.’
Several years ago, I sat down and made a list of my positive mind sets. Then I listed my bad habits and negative mind sets. It sure was eye-opening! I knew it would take courage to shift my negative paradigms, but I was determined.
To be honest, shifting a paradigm is sometimes a pretty long process, and you have to be persistent. Daily, I have to take small, manageable steps toward change. Let me give you an example. I had a bad habit I knew I had to break–grumbling and complaining. I decided that whenever a complaining thought came to my mind, I’d make a genuine effort to shift my thinking from the negative to the good and positive in the situation. I’ll admit, I still grumble and complain on occasion, but not at all to the degree that I used to.
Another example: I never used to plan, I had no goals; I was in the habit of winging it. This strategy was not bearing much good fruit, so I shifted my paradigm. At first, when I was tempted to wing it again, I literally had to make myself sit down to write a plan, but each time it got a little easier, and now I love to write my plans, ideas, goals, and strategies down on paper!
Let me encourage you to do what I have done–be honest with yourself, identify your paradigms, decide on the mind sets you can tackle, and shift them. I know you can do it!