Small changes, such as sticking to a morning routine and avoiding fear-based “what-if” questions, can help reframe times of uncertainty into moments of possibility, said executive coach and author Vitale Buford. Photo furnished
Times of uncertainty can create heightened anxiety, fear and chaos. However, it’s the individuals and organizations that use this time to turn inward and embrace change that will come out ahead. Instead of looking at uncertainty as a time to shrink and be fearful, you can look at uncertainty as a time to expand and be open to possibility. It’s time to step into your power. It’s a time to embrace and navigate change.
Reframe your thinking
It’s all about perception. As Wayne Dyer says, “if you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” It’s important to reframe the way you look at this time of uncertainty — reframe “uncertainty” as a time of “possibility.” When we look at this as a time of possibility, we open ourselves up to creativity and innovation. Some of our most-used companies today were born during the financial crisis of 2008 — Airbnb, WhatsApp, Uber, Slack and Venmo, to name a few. They seized a time of mass chaos and uncertainty and turned it into a time of possibility.
Now is not a time to be constricted — it’s a time to dream. Turn difficult decisions into opportunities. Turn hard times into your training ground. How can you deliver new and better services to your clients? How can you add value to your workforce? How can you connect better with your loved ones? How are you going to reframe this as a time of possibility?
Choose better
During this “collective pause,” it has become more apparent than ever that the only thing within our control is ourselves. And that means we are responsible for our own thoughts, words and actions. This also means we have the power of choice. And it’s our responsibility to choose better thoughts, words and actions.
One of the ways you can choose better is to flip “what if” to “even if.” “What if” is fear-based. It comes from our human need to control. Again, the only thing within our control is our thoughts, words and actions, so we need to shift our perception from fear-based thinking to a position of trust and faith.
Instead of “what if my children can’t go to camp this summer?” or “what if I don’t know what my business/career will look like in the fall?” flip to “even if my children cant go to camp, it’s going to be okay” or “even if I don’t know what my business/career will look like in the fall, it will be okay; in fact, the unknown creates space for possibility.” See how much better “even if” feels? It melts away anxiety almost instantly. There is so much power in your thoughts — and you have the power to choose your thoughts.
Create a morning routine
It’s easy to lack motivation and feel directionless when things are uncertain. During a time with less structure, it’s important to create structure — and you can do this by creating a daily morning routine. Committing to a morning routine will change the way you respond to the difficulties of your day, and it allows you to run your day instead of your day running you.
Morning routines allow you to start your day off with a win — they allow you to begin your day with action and confidence. You don’t need three hours of meditation time every single day for your morning routine. Too many people think they need some complex routine in order to make progress, but that’s not true. A simple 5- to 10-minute daily check-in is sufficient and a great place to start.
One of the most impactful activities I do during my morning routine is writing out a daily gratitude list. Instead of starting my day thinking about how tired I am or how annoyed I already am with the day, I start by focusing on what it is that I’m grateful for. My son, my health, my home, my dog, my business, the beautiful weather, hot coffee … and the list goes on and on because there’s always something more to be thankful for.
Done is better than perfect
During times of uncertainty, your fears and anxiety can lead you to feeling stuck. To get unstuck, you need to get into action. One of my favorite mantras for taking action is “done is better than perfect.” As a recovering perfectionist, I can easily let perfection get in the way of progress. Not with this mantra.
“Done is better than perfect” reminds me to start now instead of waiting for the “perfect moment.” It reminds me to take massive, imperfect action. Every time you take action, you gain confidence, which leads to more action and more confidence. And we can use all the action and all the confidence we can get right now. What can you take action on today?
Vitale Buford (vitalebuford.com) is an iPEC-certified executive coach, speaker and author who helps organizations, groups and individuals release fear and perfectionism. Featured in The New York Times, she is the author of a new book, “Addicted to Perfect,” which details her 10-year struggle with Adderall and perfectionism.