Uncertainty: Embracing Growth and Transformation
- Updated: April 12, 2024
If you’re reading this, chances are you or someone you care about is having a tough time. Maybe it’s about health, money, family, or just figuring out who you are. Life has a funny way of messing with our peace and stability.
As a coach for business owners, my job is to help you feel strong and handle life’s challenges smoothly. I provide support, guidance, and tools to help you overcome tough times and be your best self.
So, if you’re feeling unsure right now, don’t worry. You’re not alone. Actually, it’s a great place to start growing and changing for the better.
In this article, we’ll talk about different ways to get through this hard time safely.
Hot, Oppressive & Uncertain Days
How do you deal when things get hot and borderline oppressive?
I live in Central Texas, and our summers are rough! Last summer, the high temperatures were around 100-110F for the past two (yes, two!) months.
The weather was so bad that you would think you could cook an egg on the hot sidewalk.
I know Texans who literally flee to northern altitudes (Canada, Boston, and Colorado) to escape the oppressive summer heat, but unfortunately, I wasn’t one of those lucky souls. I remember the day it finally rained. It felt like a miracle! God blessed us with much-needed rain that soaked the cracked and blistered soil.
As I looked at the rain pouring down, I was grateful for the moisture, and I suddenly forgot about the months of hot, oppressive heat.
Relief will come, even when it feels like you're stuck or you want to give up. You have the ability to conquer your fears and uncertainties with the right tools.
Navigating Uncertain Times: Finding Solutions for Your Current Challenges
You might be wondering, “How does this relate to my problems right now? I’m dealing with something overwhelming, and I’m not sure how to handle it.” Well, I’m glad you asked! I understand that you or someone you know is going through a rough patch. Maybe it’s:
- A family crisis
- Health or financial struggles
- Changes in your business
- Adjusting personal or professional plans
Yes, it feels really tough at the moment. If you’ve been following my articles, you know I’ve faced my own share of pain and difficulty, especially in my early childhood.
But here’s the thing: Things will get better.
Relief will come, even when it feels like you’re stuck or you want to give up. You have the ability to conquer your fears and uncertainties with the right tools. Let’s discuss how to tackle that with these four tips.
Mindfulness isn't about trying to think positive or happy. It means you choose to pay attention to your thoughts and how they affect how you feel.
Four Tips to Deal with Change and Uncertainty
Tip #1: Be mindful of your thoughts
People often misunderstand mindfulness, thinking it’s just about being positive or staying happy.
But it’s actually much deeper than that.
Mindfulness means you choose to pay attention to your thoughts and how they affect how you feel.
It’s about thinking about yourself, your actions, and how they affect people around you. You notice what helps and what hurts, so you can focus on what’s important to you.
Why is mindfulness useful?
By choosing to think positively, you can become better at handling tough situations and feel happier inside. So, when you catch yourself thinking negative thoughts or doing things that aren’t good for you, try to remember your own strength.
Just like guardrails on roads keep you safe, set up your own guardrails against things that make you mad, distract you, or make you upset. If you let negativity take over, it can sweep you away like a flimsy wig in a big storm.
The same way there are guardrails to keep you safe on the road, so you must allow guard your mind from having your thoughts veer into directions it should not go.
Tip #2: Be intentional with your actions
Now that you know that you must put “guardrails on your mind,” the next step is focusing on what matters most.
It is super easy to get lost, be unproductive, and get distracted when it feels like everything is burning down around us.
However, now is the time to understand that you don’t have to succumb to the chaos around you. Here’s some tips when you feel overwhelmed and stressed.
How to Prioritize Your Day When You’re Stressed and Overwhelmed
Even in tough times, you can choose what to focus on. For each task, decide to:
- Do it now (DO),
- Schedule it for later (SCHEDULE),
- Delegate it to someone else (DELEGATE), or
- Delete it because it’s not worth the hassle (DELETE).
Here’s a table to help you prioritize and manage your energy throughout the day.
And if you want more tips, check out my article on boosting productivity.
Tip # 3 – Rewire your mind about how you view your priorities
Lots of folks try different things but end up failing, not because they don’t want it enough, but because they’re scared of change.
When life gets crazy, that’s when having a clear goal is super important.
Let’s look at exercise and staying fit as an example, but this could apply to any tough situation you’re facing.
Quick fixes don’t work either
Quick fixes like weight loss pills don’t work in the long run. And sadly – that includes Ozempic shots too. That’s because your mind needs a solid plan to follow.
Think about it this way: If I told you to jump up and down five times every day to get a flat tummy, and it actually worked, would you keep doing it forever?
Maybe. But chances are, once you see results, you’ll start making excuses and putting it off.
Then when your tummy gets squishy again, you’ll feel disappointed, and it’s hard to get back on track. I’ve seen it happen a lot in my job as a fitness coach.
People get results at first, but then they lose motivation and slip back into old habits.
Before you try to change anything, you’ve got to deal with those deep-down thoughts in your head.
Are you overwhelmed by it? If so, it's time to start imagining a better future for yourself. Even if things are tough now, you don't have to let them make you feel miserable. Focus on positive thoughts instead of dwelling on sadness.
Tip #4: Focus on where you want to be, not where you are at now
If you want to survive your current crisis and see yourself through this uncertain time, it will require that you take yourself out of a state of pain and misery.
Studies have proven that resilient people view themselves as achieving, even in the midst of going through horrific situations.
Transporting to a warm and comforting place
As I write this, I am reminded of Viktor Frankl’s book, “Man’s Search for Meaning,” in which he gives a powerful example of his fight to survive in Auschwitz, one of the worst Nazi concentration camps.
At one point he visualized himself in a completely different surrounding. I’m amazed at how he could mentally take himself to a cozy place, even though he was in such a tough spot.
Even though he was in pain and discomfort, Frankl didn’t just think about his problems. He knew it wouldn’t help to dwell on them, so he decided to think about something else instead.
In his mind, he pictured himself in a different place—a bright, warm room—where he was giving a talk about the psychology of concentration camps. This made him see his suffering in a different way, like he was studying it.
Frankl’s idea is pretty smart: if we understand our feelings better, it can make them hurt less. Instead of feeling hopeless, we can try to imagine good things and focus on positive stuff.
So, think about how you’re feeling right now. If things seem tough, maybe try to imagine a better future. Even when life is hard, you can still find hope and strength by thinking about good things.
Question to think about
- How do you feel about your current situation?
- Are you overwhelmed by it?
If you are overwhelmed, anxious or sad, it’s time to start imagining a better future for yourself. Even if things are tough now, you don’t have to let them make you feel miserable. Focus on positive thoughts instead of dwelling on sadness.
Focus on what you can do, not what you are up against
I don’t know what challenge you’re currently facing.
You may have an inoperable cancer, or perhaps a loved one died unexpectedly and tragically, or you were forced to move locations or even close your business.
I don’t know, and I’m not even going to tell you that your situation isn’t real or serious to you.
But what I will do is remind you of your ability to overcome your challenges by focusing on the things within your power.
Go from weakness to power
Here are some questions to help you shift from a position of weakness to power:
- What is the best kind of support you need now? How can you obtain it?
- What can you do to advocate for yourself and your needs?
- How have you overcome past struggles and learned from them to improve your resilience?
When you focus on what we can do, it diminishes the power of the obstacles around you.
Personally, starting a coaching practice focusing on addictions and traumas felt like an uphill battle, as I lacked the credentials in psychology or medicine. But the only thing I could focus on was learning more and sharing what I had learned with others.
Now, I encourage you to choose to focus on what you can do.
Trust me, it will change everything. Below is an image that summarizes everything we we discussed together.
Final Thoughts
Hey, I get it. Life can throw some curveballs, and it’s not always easy. I won’t sugarcoat it with clichés.
Here’s the deal: Growing up emotionally means going through tough times. But here’s the good part: You don’t have to let those tough times drag you down.
Even when it feels like everything’s against you, you still have control over how you react. You can choose to see the possibilities, to be purposeful, and to come out stronger on the other side, even if things haven’t changed much.
If you need more help, don’t hesitate to reach out. And if you want to dig deeper, click here to listen to this episode from my podcast or click on the play button below.
