How to Thrive in Uncertain Times

Historic.

I keep hearing that word as colleges close, bars shut down in spite of St. Patrick’s Day, and toilet paper becomes a global commodity.

When my daughter got home from her disrupted semester in Philadelphia last night, she asked, “What do you think is going to happen?”

I have no idea.

In truth, we never know what’s going to happen next.  It’s just that so much of our lives are routine that we think we should.  

And our brains love routine. Routine means safe.

Uncertainty on the other hand signals potential danger and kicks off your internal emergency broadcast system. 

This is a highly effective system when faced with a tiger, a fire, or an oncoming bus.  

It’s less effective however when you’re facing a virus, political election, or economic climate that is unfamiliar in historic proportions.

What we face today is both tiger and paper-tiger, and to do more than survive the attack, to actually thrive, we need to be able to separate the two. 

That’s pretty easy to do.

The paper-tigers are the stories attached to the facts – and they get in the way.

This is critically important because the story that you tell yourself or that you buy into is what drives everything you do (or don’t do).

And your story and behavior are the only things you’ve ever really controlled.  

Anyone who has ever faced death or won a lottery knows that control of anything outside oneself is an illusion. It’s just that most of the time, life feels so routine that we simply don’t notice.

If that seems scary, let me assure you, it’s not.  

Your ability to choose your story is power.
Your ability to choose what actions to take is power.
And the better you get at wielding that power, the better your life will be – even in these historic times.

This Week: Make Peace with Uncertainty and Thrive

BEGIN BY CHECKING YOUR MINDSET
I love the Serenity Prayer for this because it:
1.     Taps you into your faith.
2.     Is a declaration of action, even in moments of fear.
3.     Reminds you to be at peace with all that exists beyond your control.

Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

RELEASE THE PAPER TIGERS
1.     Notice the stories you’re telling yourself.  Any story that creates fear or anxiety for which there is no action that’s within your control, is a paper-tiger.
2.     Use the Serenity Prayer, reframe the story, or simply find a distraction.

FIGHT THE BEAST
This is about taking the best course of action you can…stay in, wash your hands etc…

Try using Gary Keller’s focusing question to help you prioritize actions that fall outside of your routine or when you’re feeling overwhelmed:

“What’s the ONE THING I can do such that by doing it everything else will be easier or unnecessary.”*

BIG love –

Wendy

*From The One Thing, by Gary Keller with Jay Papasan