For most of us, dealing with change is incredibly difficult.

We like things to stay the same; we like things to be known. People often ask me (actually, people always ask me) “How can I be better at dealing with change?” My response is always the same; by using tactics such as stopping ourselves in the moment and “checking in” on what we’re responding a certain way. By taking responsibility. By begin adaptable. These are all things we can learn, but we all know as we get older it gets more difficult to learn. Notice I didn’t say impossible; just more difficult…

What though if we were taught as children tools for dealing with change? What if we learnt early enough that it just became second nature?
This is the goal of the MindUp program, apparently started by actress Goldie Hawn, which teaches children as young as kindergarten age to meditate. Yes, meditate.
You can read an article on the programs success in one Vancouver school here. From the article:

For example, she has watched young students, fighting over a soccer ball, walk away from the fight to calm themselves down, and then try to resolve their feelings. “They develop a great sense of themselves, and self-esteem and confidence,” she says. “It’s amazing the kind of culture it can create.”

My question for you is this:
If we can teach our children to stop, check in, and decide our response, surely we can learn these skills ourselves, yes? I’d love to hear your thoughts on this in the comments.

Side-note: Stay tuned for news of a program I’l be rolling out sure that we think will be called “MindShift”. It’s designed to not just teach you to do the above, but hold you accountable as we journey forward.

Stay tuned…