OCTOBER 2008 | Move From Overwhelmed to Optimistic!
Ok, let's face it, these have been some VERY tough times for everyone who is plugged into the world. You can not get away from the news and media blitz of the economic worries, from breakfast to bed it is constant: RECORD SELL OFF!!! NOT THIS BAD SINCE THE DEPRESSION!!!! WORLD WIDE FINANCIAL FAILURE!! Even lunch or dinner with friends turns to the same worries and concerns. Everyone is talking about it. Here is the real problem though, how do you find the positive voice within you, the voice you need in order to go back out there everyday and keep making a living, forget about thriving? I believe this is as close to shell shocked and post traumatic as it gets for everyday people.
Let's step back from the facts and the media version of it all. There are always things to stress about and there always will be. It is how you find it within yourself to move back into a place of forward motion, not just getting up each day but actually building business and finding a clear path worth fighting for.
Let's start with some basics. Some of you will really need this, some will and didn't know it and for the rest of you keep on doing what you're doing. Here is a simple formula for you to grab your emotional self and pull up those boot straps!
Look at the following list of emotions. This is a simple list of what you can be feeling at any given time, granted it is very simple. That is the basis of this exercise, simple ways to feel better no matter what is going on. The top two are the ones we are always striving for. Now you do not need to be a cheerleader or even an over zealous believer to feel passion about life. Sometimes it is so far away though that we do not even remember what it looks like. Take a look further down that list, see anger? Fear? Anxiety? These are the ones that eat at us, hold us down and make a ruin of our lives, business and personal.
- Joy/Knowledge/Empowerment/Freedom/Love/Appreciation
- Passion
- Enthusiasm/Eagerness/Happiness
- Positive Expectation/Belief
- Optimism
- Hopefulness
- Contentment
- Boredom
- Pessimism
- Frustration/Irritation/Impatience
- "Overwhelment"
- Disappointment
- Doubt
- Worry
- Blame
- Discouragement
- Anger
- Revenge
- Hatred/Rage
- Jealousy
- Insecurity/Guilt/Unworthiness
- Fear/Grief/Depression/Despair/Powerlessness
How about if I told you that you only need to find your feelings on that chart and pick the next one above it? This all came from a book called, "Ask and It is Given", by Esther and Jerry Hicks. The day I found this I thought I was cheating! Honest to goodness cheating because how could I be so full of anger and by moving to blame I was doing better? I thought it sounded like an excuse. During some very bleak times for me I used this scale to haul myself up out of a really deep hole, you know how? One feeling at a time! It got to be so easy to get in touch with my feelings after that that frequently when something comes into my life to cause me to drop to the bottom half I can just look at my list and find a feeling at the top part and laugh. It feels good to let go of those other feelings, to be able to find hopefulness when you are discouraged.
Here is how you do it, print off a copy of this list or even cut this one out of the sheet, tape it to your work wall, refrigerator, bathroom mirror or anywhere. The best place is going to be where you spend a lot of time and where there is often adversity. Now, when you are feeling less than joyful or passionate look at this list, find your feeling on it, or as close to what your feeling as you can. Pick the next feeling up and work on feeling that one. Maybe you're full of fear/grief/powerlessness, more months left than there is money, broken heart, health problems, etc. Well, I have been there, more than I ever cared to be. I could look at the chart, filled with fear and despair and find a way to be just discouraged or filled with doubt, look how much I flew up that chart!!!! I went from 22 to 16 or even 13!
The lesson is if you really work on owning your feelings, figure out what the source of them is you may find that the fear and anger are really coming from Overwhelment. That was my favorite one, I was really overwhelmed by everything I was facing and that caused me to drop straight into fear/anxiety/tears. Now I realized that by being overwhelmed and finding myself up the ladder I had a choice to figure out solutions to all that was coming down on me.
Please feel free to contact me and ask any questions you have about the feelings list, how to find yourself on it, ways to diagnose real problems from perceived ones as well as your good stories about the success you have had using this method. Good luck and remember, Don't Ever Stop!!!!!!!!!!!!!
