“The sky is falling”, said Chicken Little. You probably know this children’s story and the metaphor behind how Chicken Little jumped to the worse conclusion possible. It seems a little ridiculous that all because of an acorn falling on his head, Chicken little went to the extreme belief the sky was falling. We can laugh at such a silly thought, but the reality is, we can all find ourselves acting in the same way if we’re not careful. What you pour fuel on is what catch’s fire.
There is no doubt, we are in unprecedented times, and most of us have never experienced anything quite like this pandemic. Being scared is an understatement, and the fear of the unknown can cause panic to set in. These are real feelings. At some point, most of us, and most likely you too, have experienced feelings just like Chicken Little and it does somewhat feel like the sky is falling. The unfortunate reality is, most likely it’s not going to get better anytime soon. Therefore, now more than ever, we need to take control of our mindset. That’s right, you can decide to change the way you think and how you react to situations. Today, you can choose to fuel a positive mindset over the negativity that can cause things to seem worse than they are. It is bad. People are scared. It’s going to get worse before it gets better, but at this point, the sky is not falling.
It is important for you to fuel positivity during these times for your own sanity, and for those who are looking to you for encouragement. I’m sure you would agree that gratitude is like the super unleaded gasoline for fueling your positivity, but in addition to having a grateful mindset, here are 4 more ways that can help you be successful in fueling positivity when faced with so much uncertainty.
Environment: If you are going to fuel positivity, you must take extreme measure over what you read, what you listen to, who you surround yourself with, and what you watch. Remember, your brain is like a computer, data in, is data out. What you put in, is what will come out. Be sure to fuel your brain with positive information, positive people, positive books, and positive learning. Seek positivity like its oxygen. In these times, it really is. Negativity will only fuel sickness and sadness.
Reject and Replace: Your brain can work against you when trying to be positive. That’s because you have wrong information in there. Remember, data in data out. The fact is, we all believe things that simply aren’t true. For example, you may believe you aren’t capable of certain things like waking up early or being patient. You may label yourself as strong willed or insecure. These are all behaviors. Behaviors can be changed. Everyone is capable of change. When something negative pops in your mind, you must reject it out loud immediately. For example: Brain: “You can’t do that, you’re too impatient.” You: (Out loud) “That’s not true, that’s a lie.” I am not impatient, I am patient, being patient is a learned behavior and I am practicing being patient!” You may have to reject the same lie several times and replace it with the truth over and over, but eventually, your brain will start to accept this new truth. That’s the way behavior change works in its simple form!
Focus on what you can change: There are many things out of your control right now, but you can fuel positivity when you focus on what you can change and not the things you can’t. For example, you may not be able to control the fact that your business is closed temporary during this crisis, but you can control how you respond. You can focus on new ways to interact with your customers, learn new information so that when you re-open you can share all the new things you’ve learned with them. Take an on-line course to improve certain skills and work on your own personal development. It’s hard to do this, when your stressed and worried, but remember, the emotion follows the action. You may not feel like taking that on-line class when you’re concerned over your finances, but once you start and get going, you’ll be glad you did!
Remember: When the fear of what’s happening today sets in, quickly redirect your attention and remember past successes. Recall other times in your life when you felt like the sky was falling, but it wasn’t. Remember how you got through and that in the end, you survived. When all else fells, you can rely on the ole saying, “This too shall pass!” It’s true, nothing last forever. Everything is changing all the time. In this amazing, unpredictable, crazy, but wonderful journey we call life, there are peaks and valleys. There are roadblocks and detours, but you get through them. Remember, you will get through this too.
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