Thriving in Difficult Times – Finish Strong

by | Sep 2, 2020

Stay the course. When thwarted try again: harder, smarter. Persevere relentlessly. – John Wooden

Crisis Kit

I have created this anti-anxiety and anti-stress tool kit, proven by science, to help you reduce anxiety and stress. I guarantee you that if you implement some of these ideas and use these tools; you will navigate this uncertainty boat like a highly skilled Captain.

Giving Up

Have you given up on 2020? Sadly, most people have consciously or subconsciously written off the rest of this year; they’ve given up on their goals, their dreams, but worst of all; they’ve given up on themselves.

If you choose not to move forward, you are like a ship drifting out to sea; driven and tossed by the winds without direction, without a plan, and without a destination.

Learned Helplessness

Basically, you are dependent on your circumstances and may be experiencing hopelessness. Psychologists call this learned helplessness. Learned helplessness is a condition where people experience a sense of powerlessness and it is an underlying cause of depression.

They are just drifting.

Hope

My goal in this blog is to bring you hope. Today, I will share some specific strategies designed to empower you to take action over your life so that you do not become a drifter; allowing your external circumstances to direct your life.

If you want to finish strong, I’m challenging you to do one thing; make a choice. Choose to focus on only one thing you want to accomplish in the next 4 months and see it through to completion.

Take Control

Life can be overwhelming and it may feel like so much is out of your control but when you stop to think about it, you control more than you know. You control things that cannot be taken away from you:

  • Making a decision is something in your control.
  • Committing to move forward against the waves is something in your control.
  • Building a resilient mindset is in your control.
  • Sticking to a routine is something in your control.

The only thing you need to do is to do it.

Commit to One Thing

What matters most to you? Perhaps it’s transitioning into a new and improved normal, maybe it’s your health goals, or possibly you might want to restore a relationship.

To help you get clarity on what your one thing is, ask yourself the following questions:

  • What would bring you the greatest amount of joy and fulfillment right now?
  • What have you subconsciously given up on because it’s been too daunting to face?
  • What one thing can you work on that will increase your confidence, energy, and self-belief?

As you look back at the end of your life you want to emphatically say, I’m so glad I didn’t give up on (your one thing).

Lastly, remember this. When choosing to move forward, it’s important to understand that it’s not about the decision. It’s about the power you exercise by making a decision to move forward. It’s about who you become by deciding to move forward.

“What’s the one thing you can do such that by doing it everything else will be easier or unnecessary?” – Gary W. Keller

Control Your Environment

Once you decide to choose one thing to focus on, create an environment favorable for you to succeed.

Most people have it wrong when it comes to goal achieving. They believe that if they muster up more discipline, determination, and willpower they will increase their chances of attaining success.

Although discipline and determination are great qualities to possess, willpower is limited and if you are depending on willpower alone to help you attain your goals, you are setting yourself up for failure. Willpower is a finite resource.

So what can you do to combat this dilemma? You can create an environment that will help you reach your goals.

How Can You Protect Your Environment?

Everything starts with mindset. When you protect the environment of your mind, the rest of your environment falls into place.

Your mind is the most powerful tool you have; what are you doing to enhance the environment of your mind? Are you a worrier, allowing negative thoughts to run rampant? What negative mindsets are you allowing to influence your thoughts?

If your mind is full of defeating, worrisome, toxic thoughts, the solution for this is simple; take control of your thoughts and stop listening to the echo chamber of your mind.

Think of exercising your mind in much the same way as you exercise your body.

Mindfulness Workout:

  • When you find yourself having racing thoughts, stop and record them.
  • Once you have a record of your thoughts, organize them into categories.
  • Focus only on one category at a time and look for a solution for your concern.
  • Place all the other thoughts on a back burner to deal with later.
  • As you are slowing down to do this exercise, practice simple deep breathing exercises to calm your stress hormones.

Once you make this exercise a daily habit, you will see that you are worrying less because you have taken control of your thoughts and you’re finding solutions to your problems rather than them running on the continual hamster wheel in your mind.

As you are creating a favorable environment for you to complete your one thing, you are also building patterns of success. It then becomes easier and easier to silence those racing thoughts because you are creating solutions for your problems rather than your problems controlling you.

See the One Thing as a Gift

Owning your perspective is another way to help you focus on your one thing.

It has been said that perspective is everything. Two people can look at the very same circumstance and “see” two totally different things altogether.

The same is true regarding completing your one thing. If your primary focus is on the one thing, you will most likely have feelings of dread and anxiety. However, if you view the one thing as a gift, you are more likely to see the experience as a potential for new opportunities and consequently welcome it with excitement and anticipation.

While most people magnify the one thing, the better option is to concentrate on who you will become once you make the choice. Difficult choices are golden opportunities to become more in life; to live empowered and write your own life story. Difficult choices unearth a hidden power you have deeply embedded inside of yourself.

Make an Unwavering Commitment

I’ll leave you with one last thought.

Drifters fail to commit. Until you commit, there will always be hesitancy and the possibility to withdraw back into security. Drifters are wannabes; they have the desire but that is where it stops. The difference between a doer and a wannabe is commitment.

Once you commit to something, your mind believes it and the neuroplasticity of your brain starts working in your favor; it’s as if you have already succeeded. A psychological upgrade occurs in your life once you commit to something; you alter your subconscious belief system about who you are and what you are capable of doing.

When you commit to something, you wrap your identity in the decision, embrace it and take ownership of it which in turn increases your confidence and your chances of success.

That’s the power of commitment;
It changes what you believe and consequently changes your results.
Own your circumstances; no excuses.

Make it a strong day!

Rita

Crisis Kit

I have created this anti-anxiety and anti-stress tool kit, proven by science, to help you reduce anxiety and stress. I guarantee you that if you implement some of these ideas and use these tools; you will navigate this uncertainty boat like a highly skilled Captain.

Rita Hudgens
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