Malcolm Gladwell published an incredible book in 2000, where he wrote about ideas, products, messages and behaviours in our history that reached a point where they suddenly became so big that they had a huge impact on the world and its people. He compared it to a contagious epidemic that spreads like a wildfire, like a virus. He called that one dramatic moment when everything can change all at once, The Tipping Point.
This term “The Tipping Point” became very popular and has since been used widely in almost every context imaginable. So because my work is about cultivating resilience through all kinds of adversities, I would like to give you some signs that indicate when you might be at your own emotional tipping point. Being able to recognise these signs, will enable you to evaluate your situation and take appropriate action to either avoid tipping over and having a complete breakdown or to go beyond your tipping point and make a dramatic change for the better. When you do that, your new behaviour, ideas and messages you give the people around you, will have an equally big impact in your life and believe me, it can spread like a good viral cure.
Here are the signs:
- You are short-tempered and lose it easily.
- You are irritable – everything bothers you.
- You feel as if you couldn’t care less about anything anymore.
- You’ve lost interest in the things you used to enjoy.
- You seek solitude instead of being around people.
- Your close relationships are becoming challenging.
- You use alcohol or drugs to escape from your reality.
- You don’t show up at important events and make lame excuses for it.
- The quality of your work deteriorates.
- You abandon your goals and dreams.
“In the end, Tipping points are a re-affirmation of the potential for change and the power of intelligent action. What underlies it all is a bedrock of belief that change is possible, that people can radically transform their behaviour or beliefs in the face of the right kind of impetus.” – Malcolm Gladwell