2020 – Make it a Year of Positive Self-Disruption

No one ever got very far by standing still. Your muscles don’t get stronger without resistance, and your brain doesn’t get sharper by repeatedly solving the same problem. To grow as an individual, you must engage yourself in positive self-disruption.

So what is positive self-disruption?

Positive self-disruption is about making a conscious choice to grow as an individual by engaging in new experiences and ideas. It’s about viewing disruption not as a negative, destructive force but as a positive one that enables you to create a growth mindset. It’s about pushing beyond your comfort zones.

It’s also a way we can develop our foresight. When we throw ourselves into new scenarios and unexplored terrain, physically or mentally, we equip ourselves with the tools to become a day-after-tomorrow thinker. Rather than running on autopilot, we start to think creatively in response to the new stimuli we experience. Positive self-disruption teaches us to become accustomed to change and to factor it into our strategic thinking.

We live in an age of disruption. Individuals, businesses, communities and governments are all experiencing their own versions of it, brought about by technological, economic and cultural factors. No one is immune. How we handle the challenge of disruption often comes down to the resilience, flexibility and positivity we carry within ourselves.

Positive self-disruption helps us build our reserves of resilience, fosters flexibility and promotes positivity. Through positive self-disruption, we can find calm within the chaos; recognise opportunity within change; and as leaders, understand how we can navigate difficult times and challenging scenarios.

So how do we engage in positive self-disruption?

Firstly, we identify areas of our lives in which we want to grow and improve. These are usually health, career, family and finances. The big picture stuff. Stop and reflect on your life. Prioritise what’s important. Make it a testing ground for growth. Introduce positive self-disruption by unleashing a little controlled chaos.

So many of us have become regimented in our approach to life. Being organised is great, but becoming a creature of comfort leads to complacency. Soon enough, our habits and ways of thinking become ossified. We stagnate. Our bodies get soft, and our minds lazy.

Positive self-disruption requires us to shock our systems a little. Positive self-disruption hurts, but in a good way. Real growth requires genuine effort.

The positive self-disruption of engaging in a new habit or challenging activity can help you improve physically and mentally. It gives you fresh perspectives on the world and a new appreciation of your place in it. Positive self-disruption can make you feel vulnerable. It loosens your grip on certainty. It makes you stretch. This is a good thing.

Identify areas in your life where you feel you’re stuck in quicksand. Maybe you’ve let your health go or become jaded about your work. Find an activity that will get your body moving. Do something to fire up your neural pathways. Learn a musical instrument. Take up yoga or meditation. Learn a martial art. Read classic Russian literature. Get out of your bubble and experience the world.

When I next ask you the question of what have you done for yourself this year, how have you disrupted yourself in these past twelve months, I don’t want regrets. I want a list of things, exciting things you have done to be a better healthier version of you, to enable your growth as an individual. Make it happen today!