Life throws a lot at us: the good, the bad, and everything in between.

Lately, my life has been full of disruptions. Lots of great ones. I have:

• A book, Disrupt Everything, coming out this year with James Patterson (yep, that James Patterson, the world’s bestselling author.
• A growing list of fantastic speaking opportunities.
• The potential for a major partnership is on the horizon.
• Most importantly, my second granddaughter will arrive in a few weeks.

But even with so much going right, I sometimes find myself leaning toward the negative.

Recently, I voiced a concern to a colleague about something that might unravel. His response was simple but profound, “while it’s important to stay aware of potential risks, if you’re offered two cups, one of joy and one of grief, choose the cup of joy.”

In my work, I research, write, and speak about disruption—not by predicting what’s next like a futurist, but by helping teams and organizations prepare for, embrace, and leverage disruption to their advantage. Every day, I guide people to find the opportunity in change and use it to benefit themselves and others. Yet, despite all that, I still sometimes catch myself taking a big swig from the cup of grief.

His words reminded me that disruption is inevitable, but how we respond to it is a choice. It’s easy to drink from the cup of joy when things are going well, but the real challenge and growth come when we reach for that same cup in the challenging moments. When things are uncertain, when plans don’t go as expected, when the path forward is unclear, we can still choose to find the good, even if it’s just a sip at a time.

So, what about you? Which cup will you drink from when disruption hits?

What joy is sitting right before you that you might be overlooking?

How would your mindset, your work, or even your relationships change if you made it a habit to reach for joy first?

Here’s a challenge: For the next week, whenever you catch yourself focusing on what’s going wrong, pause and intentionally look for something—anything—that’s going right. No matter how small, take a sip from the cup of joy. See what changes.

Make it a great day!

Patrick

P.S. If you are looking to shake things up in your team and organization and get them to embrace disruption in new and exciting ways. Connect with my business manager, Michele Lucia, to learn more.

#disrupteverything #disruption #success