When Things Shift
How are you holding up? As I write this, many of us are still quarantined. While some states have lifted some restrictions, things are largely still the same.
How you deal with change often depends on how you’ve managed change in the past. For example, I remember a layoff that was devastating. It wasn’t my husband’s first layoff and it wouldn’t be the last. The same company that paid to relocate us from Connecticut to New Jersey and gave my husband a really big raise, laid him off three years later.
After three months of unemployment, we did the unthinkable: We decided to sell our beautiful house and some furniture and household items, and we packed up and moved to Colorado. Did I mention that we didn’t have jobs or a cushy relocation package or that I had never been there and knew no one? That experience taught us to be flexible and adapt to change when needed.
Putting a game plan in place
Once change hits and it’s clear that things aren’t going to go back to normal anytime soon, it helps to have some strategies in place in to help you financially, emotionally, physically, and spiritually.
Tip #1: You can shift your mindset by starting a sentence with “Even though….” and then add something positive. My “even though” right now might be “Even though I can’t teach classes or see my grandkids in-person, I can do these things online.”
You can even add a Bible verse to your “Even though” such as “I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13)
Dealing with tempo changes
When things change unexpectedly, it’s like getting ready to play a tune that you know really well but the lead singer decides to completely switch it up and change the tempo. Keep in mind that I often get asked to jump in on percussion, with both cover bands and church bands. No practice. Sometimes, no set list.
What I’ve learned is that, when the tempo changes and things aren’t what you expected, you need to do three things:
1) Stop for a second
2) Listen (See my previous post about tuning in.)
3) Catch the beat when it comes back around
Here’s a short video that illustrates how this works in drumming and in life:
How have you pivoted during this quarantine period? And what is your “Even though..?” Feel free to leave a comment below!
Dori Staehle, MBA is from the Raleigh, NC area and is a certified drum therapist, drum teacher, percussionist, ADHD specialist, Toca percussion artist, mentor, ADHD coach, and owner of Next Stage Drumming. She helps people focus, feel better, and find their joy – with drumming! Dori is also an inspirational speaker, and an Amazon author. She’s currently working on her second book, which is about rising up and finding your purpose.
