Steps to overcoming the present challenges
Living in the topsy turvy world we’re in right now is challenging, but we can successfully navigate this and other crises that impact our lives. This post will explore powerful steps to doing so.
Working life as we once knew it has been thrown into total disarray with companies scrambling around trying to figure out how to survive, let alone plan for the future.
Welcome to my world…
In a bizarre simile, this is exactly what I faced over 20 years ago. I was housebound, easy prey for infection, my business had gone up in smoke and knowing what the future held was impossible. The train crash had destroyed it all.
Today, for me, it’s different circumstances, same stark reality. However, there is a silver lining. This time I know how to react and how to evolve with the least amount of pain.
Here are a few of my thoughts based on my past experiences that you may find useful:
Acceptance
There is absolutely no point in trying to fight the circumstances that have occurred. Ask yourself, ‘Can I change it?’
If the answer (as it is likely to be) is ‘No,’ then simply accept it for what it is and prepare for the next step.
Squash the Worrying
Perfectly natural to panic or worry about how you are going to pay the mortgage, bills, commitments, or where your next paycheck is going to come from, but you must master these worries and push them to the back of your mind.
I’ll be frank with you, there is the distinct possibility that things may go completely belly up. However, with the current situation we find ourselves in, we are all in the same boat, and the entire capitalist system we know may disappear if it drags on for too long.
Okay, so these justified concerns will rumble away in the back of your consciousness, but for now, you must pay them no heed. You need to be effective if you are going to survive.
Start Logical
Without thinking about the whys or wherefores, sit down and list your tangible assets and liabilities. Don’t do anything with this list or try offsetting one item against the other, just write them down. You need to get a clear picture of both what you have and don’t have, of the things that are likely to affect your person and wellbeing.
Again, being honest, your feelings of panic will rise to the surface as you do this. Sit on these feelings, squash them down. You must concentrate on the now and ignore the what if’s.
Assess What You Can Do
Forget everything else and base your assessment purely on the facts. Scrutinize yourself from head to toe, internally and externally:
- What are you physically able to do?
- What are your mental capabilities? For example, are you a problem solver, do you prefer to take instruction, are you really good with figures, strategising, creating, etc.?
- Do you have a skill from the past that you let slide when you focused on your career?
Keep going, listing everything you know you are capable of doing.
Curb Desire and Wishful Thinking
As you go through this process, your list must be as plain, simple, and matter of fact as you can manage. This is going to form the bedrock of your planning ahead. However, don’t start wishing, wanting, or trying to look ahead at the moment. The only future you should concentrate on at present is tomorrow.
Next week, month, and year will be here soon enough – the difference will be in the you facing them by the time they arrive.
Part 2 Coming Soon
This is getting to be a rather long article with quite enough tasks for anyone to start with so I’m going to leave it here for now.
Join me in my next article – How to Successfully Navigate Crises (like the Coronavirus), Part 2 – when I’ll carry on with the journey.
You may also want to check out a previous article I wrote where I broke down how I re-built my life and career previously HERE
