Coaching Yourself COURAGEOUSLY – Perspective: Ushering in the New and Improved Normal

“The secret to change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” – Socrates

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Horrific Moments in History

Where were you when you heard about the planes crashing into the twin towers on September 11?

For those of you who are old enough, what were you doing when J.F.K. was shot?

Horrific moments in history become etched in our minds because they shocked us and changed our world forever.

Next question, what were you doing when the first case of Covid19 was recorded?

Not quite so horrific of a memory, right? But despite its silent beginnings, this pandemic has left us with devastating consequences that have changed the way we live.

A Mask and a Baseball Game

January 31, 2020, is the day that will forever be etched in my mind regarding Covid19 and how swiftly it impacted all of our lives.

I was at my son’s baseball game and as I turned to look to my right, there was a woman sitting next to me in the stands. This woman stood out like a sore thumb because she was wearing a white protective mask. That may sound normal now, but it was unheard of in the US on January 31^st, 2020.

At that time, the only masked people we saw were on news clips from China as their country was being impacted by the Novel Coronavirus. I wondered why this woman, sitting just inches from me, was wearing a mask 7,075 miles away from China.

Little did I know that that evening was an eerie foreshadowing of things to come.

Within a few weeks, there would be no more baseball games to go to; the entire season was canceled. Disneyland, the NBA, MLB, all schools, gyms, and retail stores abruptly shut down.

Churches closed their doors and US hospitals prepared for the worst; setting up triage tents outside emergency room entrances.

Shelter in place became an actual thing and do I even mention toilet paper?

Watching China, Iran, and Italy those of us here in the United States braced for the peak of this pandemic to hit.

The peak hit, the curve has been flattened, and the US and other countries are starting the rebuilding process.

Welcome to the Post Covid19 World

The Novel Coronavirus didn’t hit suddenly like the planes crashing into the twin towers; however, it still hit us hard and drastically changed our way of life.

But just as we faced this pandemic in stages; we will come out of it in stages and rebuild what was lost.

Everyone’s Covid19 story is different but regardless of how you’ve been impacted, no one can go in reverse; we must adapt.

What are you doing to grow in resiliency as you cross from one uncertainty to another?

In this blog post, I will share with you one superpower you must have in order to transition into a Post Covid19 world and create a new and improved normal; one that can be better than before.

That superpower is something you already have inside of you; perspective.

Perspective

Perspective is your point of view; it allows you to see life and situations from different vantage points. When you hear someone say, “Let’s put this in perspective.” It means let’s take a step back and get a bird’s eye view of how everything is in relation to everything else.

Perspective is a strength you have inside of you and creating a healthy one is not only doable, but it also gives you the ability to see a bigger picture in life; the whole picture rather than a few scattered parts here and there.

To move from one uncertainty into another and develop a healthy perspective requires that you grow in both wisdom and optimism.

Applying Wisdom

According to research in Positive Psychology, the strength of perspective falls under the umbrella of wisdom.

Wisdom is foundational to building a healthy perspective; applying it is like owning a gold mine.

Since your perspective shapes your thoughts, feelings, decisions, and consequently your actions; applying wisdom is an indispensable key to living a life of significance and purpose rather than just getting by.

There are certain factors to be mindful of that will help you grow in wisdom:

• Sound Judgment versus Judger Mindset
• Exposing a Fear-Based Mindset

Sound Judgment versus Judger Mindset

To increase in wisdom, you must slow down enough to look at situations from as many angles as you can without judgment. Sound judgment is thinking things through and weighing information; not jumping to conclusions. Having sound judgment is a valuable trait that grows wisdom and allows you to weigh multiple sides before making decisions.

Being critical of yourself, others, and situations puts you in a judger mindset. Having a judger mindset does not allow you to evaluate situations with an unbiased lens. A judger mindset always tries to find fault and blame instead of looking for solutions and seeking new opportunities; it distorts clarity.

Fear

Living with a fear-based mindset blocks wisdom. If fear is your driver, you cannot hear wisdom nor can you bring your best self to the situation.

“Knowing yourself is true wisdom.” – Lao Tzu

Fear-based thoughts cause negative emotions which not only steal your joy, they blur your perspective. When you free yourself from fear, you fuel your life with wisdom and optimism instead of worry, doubt, and anxiety.

People who listen to wisdom and seek to have clear perspectives are not defined by their circumstances or their feelings; they are defined by their wise counsel.

Including Optimism

Developing an optimistic viewpoint during times of uncertainty is a key puzzle piece to building a healthy perspective. Let’s travel back in time to see a real-life example of optimism from history.

In 1871, the city of Chicago experienced a devastating tragedy; The Great Chicago Fire. This fire burned for 3 solid days. It destroyed thousands of buildings and killed an estimated 300 people and caused 200 million dollars in damages.

Despite the horrific loss, the people of Chicago remained optimistic and vowed to come back even stronger than before this disaster.

With brilliant innovations, architects revolutionized the city’s buildings which consequently fashioned the spectacular skyline that Chicago is known for.

Chicago literally and figuratively rose from the ashes and was rebuilt into what some call one of the world’s best cities for architecture.

Our world has changed and will continue to change. Are you willing to emerge on the other side wiser and stronger?

Make it a courageous day!

Keep believing,
Rita

I’m sharing a link to a great article written on perspective using a beautiful timeline of the United States. Enjoy

https://www.villages-news.com/2020/05/01/a-time-for-perspective/