Life is going to throw all kinds of stuff our way. From the small to the life changing. I’ll call the small ones curveballs and the life changing ones flips. Here’s how I’m starting to make sense of their distinction.
Curveballs are temporary – events that change the course of a few days or weeks. We all have them. My current curveballs are a termite infestation ( gross but manageable ) and a complete change in week end plans to help a friend in need.
Flips are longer term, more dramatic and longer term changes to life context. An example parents can relate to are the changing perspectives required as your children age. When they’re young, you want to protect and nurture them. As they get older, the approach needs to flip to encouraging independence.
Why do we care about these distinctions? Because it’s important to understand what is temporary and what is permanent. The temporary are things we can let slide and roll with the punches. We deal with them as they come but they don’t have a lasting impact on how we live. The more permanent however, are fundamental changes to how we need to approach the world because the world has literally changed.
Both require a growth mindset, but the mental toughness required to rewire your approach to the world requires 10x the effort. Once you recognize which you’re dealing with, you can allocate proportionate energy.
The Objective Co 