Chicken Little or On Game

The news can be a bit scary at the moment. A $700,000 plus bailout (and that’s just the beginning) sprinkled with words like recession and depression. Things can look scary. Stomachs tighten and stress levels soar. What can you do?

Here’s my take. There is no point in my getting all wierded out, because there is little that I can do about it. I can let my elected officials know how I feel (and that’s a good idea). Then I have to let it go. It is, really out of my hands. This doesn’t mean that I ignore what is going on. The contrary, educating myself is important – reading and listening to good news sources. I like National Public Radio because of the variety of views. But stay informed.

However, it makes very little sense that I get my knickers in a twist over something that I can’t do anything about. I have no direct affect here, so after I’ve done all that I can do, the best thing for me to do is move on.

Obviously “moving on” is easier said than done, but that doesn’t let us off the hook to take control over the one thing we have control over – ourselves.

Reflect a moment. Do you make your best decisions under stress? Being emotionally distraught is not when I think my clearest! Being scared gets in the way of my clarity and hoses up my judgment. Not a good combination for decision making.

For those of you who have worked with me you know that I believe Awareness is Curative. What do I mean?

Awareness Is Curative

It means, that as soon as I become aware of an issue I’m having, I am already on my way to fixing the problem. The solution has already started. The trick here is awareness.

This is what happens to me. I’ll be working or playing and realize suddenly that I’m short tempered or feeling stressed out. You know, that knot in your stomach that signals all is not well.

Here’s what I do when that knot shows up in my stomach:

• Take a break immediately and be still for a minute and be conscious of my breath.
• Then I give the emotion I’m feeling a definition. Scared, angry….whatever.
• Then I give myself permission to feel that way. Yup just feel it. Don’t act on it.
• I then listen to the dialog going on in my head. Typically it’s telling me I’ve done something wrong or someone has wronged me.
• If I’ve done something I do what I need to in order to make amends.
• If someone else has done something I check my boundaries to see how I could have prevented myself from being in the situation so I don’t find myself here again.
• Then I go do whatever I’d do if this was not in my way. I ask myself this question, “If I wasn’t ranting and raving inside about the “wrongness” of it all, what would I be doing.” Then I go do it.

Keeping to Your Regular Day is Important

The last point of course is what gets you moving again in the right direction. That sage piece of advice comes from a women I worked with in Alanon. For those of you who don’t recognize that organization, Alanon is a support group for people whose lives have been affected by an alcoholic. When things were crazy it was important for me to remember to keep living. She used to ask me, If this wasn’t happening right now Jillian, what would you be doing? I’d tell her. And she’d say, “Go do it.”

Great advice to keep your life moving in the right direction.

Being stuck in an emotional crucible roots you in disaster. What’s more, most of the time we are rooted in these disasters because we are worrying about what might happen in the future. It’s not happening right now at all.

Is This Your First Disaster?

Here is an easy thing to do to keep yourself moving forward while the politicians determine the new monopoly rules.

Take a quick look around you and ask yourself if everything is OK right now? If it is, then things are great! Why? Because this is the only moment you have. You don’t need to sour it by worrying about something that may happen tomorrow or next week or whenever.

Besides which one of you hasn’t survived some kind of disaster? I know I certainly have. I got an email today from my Real Estate coach, Dave Lindhal. I thought he said it really well.

“When your neighbor looses his or her job it’s a recession. When you loose your job it’s a depression. Even if the rest of the economy looks great.”

If you’re like me, I’ll bet you’ve had times when money was short and it felt like options were too. I have been drop dead broke and thought I had no options. That was when I joined Excel Communications and it was the beginning of one of the best things I ever did for myself.

Often it’s when things seem at their worst that the best arrives. If you’ve get yourself in a knot of dithers you may miss it. Some of you know my story. I nearly missed Excel because I was in such a state of inner turmoil. But my best friend Coach Norine was persistent with me until I came to my senses and took a look. I got more information and low and behold there was a solution to my circumstances.

That’s the trick and the key. Don’t tune out but rather tune in. Keep your business moving forward, persevere and don’t worry about what you can’t change.

Educate yourself – read – listen – ask questions. Work with a mastermind group. Hire a coach. Go to free teleseminars – or pay for them. But keep yourself open to new ideas and new opportunities and solutions will come your way.

“The point of power is always in the present moment.” – Unknown

Warmly,

Jillian