During a crisis, it can feel like you’re on a high-speed bullet train heading to a place you’ve never been before. You didn’t buy a ticket and you don’t want to go.
This journey certainly was not by choice. But now that you’re on the train, you must contend with the hand you’ve been dealt. As you ride along everything seems to pass by in a blur.
While you may not have had control getting on the train, or even on where the train is headed, you do have some controls at your disposal while riding it.
Choose to Lead
You can still dictate what commands your attention along the way. You can simply sit there and passively accept that you are powerlessly moving from point ‘a’ to point ‘b’, or you can choose to move to the conductor’s seat, and make sure that you stay on the right track in order to achieve the best outcome for yourself and your organization.
You don’t have to go wherever the train takes you. You can choose and navigate a new route, a new direction, a new destination, one that you would never have imagined or discovered had you not been in this crisis.
Aimlessly stuck, stressed, and disappointed is how a lot of us feel in times of crisis. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Change Your Perspective, Change Your Future
Fear and anxiety often lead to complacency, leaving us stuck in the Surviving Stage , or worse, stuck in the Victim Stage or Settled Stage. When this happens, we are left sitting on the sidelines, watching opportunities pass by.
Remember, no matter what happens, you still have control over how you respond. Respond passively with fear, you will be disappointed with the outcome. Responsibly taking control for how you respond opens up countless possibilities.
But, you have to believe that you have control. And that belief begins with your perspective on the situation. Perspective is seeing the glass half full or half empty. Instead of focusing on the negative, shift your perspective to focusing on the possibilities, to what can be. When you adopt a positive attitude, a boost in resilience follows. You are better able to deal with setbacks when they occur.
You Have More Control Than You Think
When you need a shift in perspective, ask yourself two questions:
- What are the negative stories and thoughts that are preventing me from thriving?
- What are the positive stories and thoughts that empower me?
These two questions can change everything. A negative mindset is toxic. I was taking in all the negative news stories at the beginning of the pandemic – my whole body had a negative tone. I had to get away from it and turn the negativity into positive thoughts.
You have to be aware of the stories that influence your thinking and your actions. Then you’re in a position to do something about it. You can make a mental shift away from the limiting beliefs and stories you tell yourself.
I’m not suggesting you put on rose-colored glasses and naively wish the pain and struggle away. I am suggesting that you not allow only the negative to cloud your thinking. What are the facts? What are the implications? With that information in hand, now you can objectively identify the options you have for moving forward. You can see a path from the current state to a better future you choose. You discover hope once again.
You take back the conductor’s seat.
