Do you know what a disrupter is?
In business a disrupter is a new product that enters the market and at the outset appears to not perform very well, but over time, it disrupts the giants of the industry and in some cases, causes massive, long-term changes.
I bet you can come up with a few.
The telephone, lightbulbs, cars, refrigeration.
Those have been around for a while, but how about Netflix or Airbnb?
I am not a business expert, but I was thinking about how we can use disrupters to cause change to help us with our personal development.
It is easy to get stuck in a rut.
To do things because we are on automatic.
We don’t even question why it is we react the way we do, we are just programmed to respond.
If we introduce a small change, it could lead to better results in the long run.
Try this in the relationship that is causing you some distress right now.
It could be at your job, school, in your family, or your volunteer work.
Instead of reacting when the person comes into view and demanding your attention, smile.
Quietly turn to the person, calm your body, put a smile on your face and pleasantly greet them.
Do it sincerely and kindly.
You will probably cause them to pull back and look closer at you since you aren’t trying to brush them off quickly or respond negatively to their presence.
They may quickly regain their composure, and begin in like they always do, but you are going to remain calm and listen until they are done. Then you can respond and finish the conversation.
They will likely approach you again in the same manner.
Remember that disruptors look like they will likely fail at the beginning.
But they don’t go away.
Disruptors keep on disrupting the pattern. They stay there and don’t seem to make a big difference at first.
Then they do.
I can’t tell you how long it will take, but keep at it.
This is how cultures change, how they shift.
Use them to your advantage.
Dr. Paul