“Guess where the 2020 GAF Conference is,” Rita teased.
“Somewhere warm, I hope,” I replied, remembering the year it was in Huntington Beach, California.
“How does a trip to San Diego sound?”
“Perfect. Let’s go a few days early. I think we need to disconnect a few days.”
And with that, we registered for the conference, made reservations at the Manchester Grand Hyatt, and booked our airfare. You can imagine the anticipation of going there.
Oh, by the way … the event was scheduled for March 19 – 22.
On March 5, an email arrived from Jim Schnepper, President of GAF. “It is with sincere regret that we announce the cancellation of the 2020 Wealth Builder event scheduled for March 19-22 in San Diego, California. This decision was made out of an abundance of caution in light of the global coronavirus outbreak and the state of emergency declaration in California.”
WHILE ON YOUR JOURNEY
Disruption is what happens on the Next Level Journey from Here to There. You have your plan until something “blocks” your path.
Disruption comes in all sizes. It can be simple like a thunderstorm on the day of your family picnic, or as significant as a job loss, or as severe as a diagnosis. It could be the coronavirus pandemic.
When plans are interrupted by something out of your control that’s disruption and it can feel like resistance or opposition.
Disruption is a call to change.
Leaders transform disruption into performance improvement by making the following choice.
CHOOSE YOUR RESPONSE
Fear-based control. The natural reaction to disruption is frustration, and the question is, “Why?” When you are comfortable with your plans and have it all figured out, it’s easy to interpret the event as happening TO you. This idea is rooted in fear-based thinking and pushes the unproductive behaviors associated with an attempt to control.
What happens when you try to control something that is out of your control? More often than not, it is a loss of self-control, which is not helpful.
Faith-based calm. The learned response to disruption is curiosity, and the question is, “What now?” With maturity, you learned that the interruption of your plan is an invitation to consider another path. Faith allows you to believe something better can be created. Instead of the disruption happening TO you, you are free to see disruption as a positive and FOR you.
Remaining calm allows you to tap into your competence and confidence to influence the story and create a solution.
Disruption is a call to change. Whether you move forward or not depends on your perspective. You must choose your view – is the disruption, something that happened TO YOU or FOR YOU?
CREATE SPACE TO THINK
This week there were many opportunities to say, “We could have been in San Diego right now.” But that trip was disrupted by a pandemic, and we had to change our plans. It’s a small disappointment considering the big picture. Frankly, I’m glad to be home during this historic moment.
Disruption comes in all levels of magnitude. Create Space by using the following exercise to develop a faith-based calm and transform your mindset. See what happens as you embrace disruption’s call to change as an opportunity to grow.
Where is your story being disrupted? P.A.C.E. yourself with these questions:
PAUSE and Breath
Manage your fear-based, fight-or-flight response.
ASK Questions
How does this event call me/us to change?
Do I believe this happened “to me” or “for me”?
Why do I believe that?
CHALLENGE your Beliefs
What do I accept as real at this moment?
Is it the truth?
What do I believe about this disruption?
EDIT the Story
Focus on the positive and the potential.
Imagine how you can get better.
Be prudent. Be safe. Be calm.
Promoting Hope,
Steve
Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash