February 2, 2012 – Today is Groundhog Day and Punxsutawney Phil told us to expect another six weeks of winter. Would that knowing the future could be so easy and effortless. Alas, we mortal humans don’t have it so easy. We are charged with taking control of our lives, making decisions, and effecting the change we wish to see in our lives. Doing so requires taking stock of our lives and reaching an awareness that there are things we wish to change. Next is deciding what things to change (setting goals), and then planning how to effect those changes (devising the all important action plans).
There are many of us who manage to get to this stage and then sit in bewilderment when things don’t work out the way we envisioned. Recognizing that change is desired and setting plans to effect that change is only part of the solution. The most important, missing piece of the puzzle is Zitsflaish (Yiddish for patience – literally sitting meat); sitting with the plan and working on it until you achieve your desired results. That is the hard work. It is so easy to raise our hands in defeat and exclaim that we can’t change life, that this is just the way things are, that this is the nature of the beast. Giving in to this temptation dooms us to living and reliving Groundhog Day everyday.
Zitsflaish. Sitting with your action plan, like a slab of meat on a table, tweaking it as necessary, requires patience, belief in yourself and the overall plan, and perseverance in the face of minor setbacks. Developing this ability will guide you to effecting the change you want, and you will thereby avoid the fate of waking every morning to the “same old same old” as Phil Connors did until he, not only realized that he can change but, actually worked long and hard to make the change.
Previously we discussed this concept in “Tis Easier Said Than Done,” “Creatures of Habit,” and “Speak the Same Language” to name a few blogs. Look for next week’s blog on how this concept comes to play in “The Power of Venting.”
Consider the Possibilities.
Adam J. Krim www.driveconsulting.net
