The beautiful thing about technology is that I can publish my writing while I'm on vacation without even touching a computer or smartphone.
This functionality, however, benefits my productivity regardless of whether or not I'm lounging about by the water in a hammock (as I write this I am daydreaming about my upcoming trip).
Learning to use certain features in my email, website platform, calendar program, etc. has saved me time and money. But getting there required a series of choices. Not least of which was the decision to make the upfront investment to learn how to use these tools.
I used to be quick to reject new technology. I even described myself as a technophobe in the past. My resistance stemmed from repeated negative experiences where new tech didn't work as I had expected. As a result, I got intensely triggered to the point of wanting to throw my computer out the window. Luckily self-control pervaded, but I still stomped, pounded things and yelled - I'm not proud to admit these faults but I prefer to be real with you all.
Being severely triggered by technology was a major sticking point in growing my business for a few years. Not only did I resist it, but I stressed and stressed and stressed over it. I wasted so much energy because I told myself a story that I was inept at tech and therefore would fail.
As I worked on my Conversational Intelligence certification I finally had the tools and words to understand what was going on. I was stuck in a Trigger Reaction Loop. Just the recognition alone enabled me to begin to shift the story and start the process of Rewriting the Pattern.
But it wasn't until a year later, when I was transferring my bookkeeping over to Quickbooks that I realized what it would take to turn this pattern into an empowering practice.
As my Dad helped me get Quickbooks up and running we both got frustrated and entered into a yelling match. The heat and anger was caustic and completely unproductive. It wasn't until we both calmed down a while later that the answer presented itself. And it turned out to be quite a simple fix.
That moment really illustrated for me one simple fact - I was choosing to react that way. Which meant, I could make a different choice.
That's when I actively shifted my expectations. I started telling myself a different story, one where learning new technology takes time. And I need to be patient with myself as I learn how to use it.
I used to get so mad because I expected new technology to work like the wave of the Fairy Godmother's magic wand. Poof, my bank statements are reconciled. Poof, my website automation is making me money. Poof, I'm drinking kombucha in my hammock reading a book while new blogs get published.
But the real hard work is what happens during the "poof" part of my story. As I shifted my expectations, I was able to respond with more compassion and grace when tech didn't go as planned. And we all know, tech doesn't always work as we expect it to. But when we commit to learning how to use it with patience and grace, poof, we can reap the benefits!
Are you ready to rewrite a limting story into an empowering practice? Qhat if you could make a significant shift with just 20 minutes of journaling? Check out the next Journal Jam, September 14th. More information and registration is available online.