Getting to put your way of thinking to the test
Hello fellow Protagonists,
By now we are all probably aware that the UK is going on a month long lock-down. This time it will be from Thursday 5th November - Wednesday 2nd December.
There are two ways that we can take this information and we get to select which one we are going to follow. Ask yourself this question,
Is this lock-down an obstacle or an opportunity?
It really is the perfect opportunity to test our way of thinking as it can be so easy to be drawn down a path of negativity and fear.
If we instantly Judge any situation as "bad" then that will automatically lead us to find evidence to back that assumption up. We will start actively searching and listening to other people who share that same view. This will not help us to feel any better.
So how can we use lock-down as an opportunity to grow?
In order to see the potential opportunities in things we need to come from a mental place of gratitude.
This can be challenging and does not mean being directly grateful for Covid-19 but in realising that there are lessons to take from this experience, possibilities that would have otherwise not been opened up.
We need to train our gratitude muscles, like we would with anything we want to get stronger. To grow they need to be tested.
We should do this because getting in the mindset of gratitude will lead us to naturally be able to see situations as opportunities.
"When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us." - Helen Keller
What kind of opportunities does lock-down provide us with?
This will be on an individual basis and will differ from person to person. Here are some ideas to help get your mind started:
Have you noticed that you are talking more with those you love?
Have you been thinking more about the welfare of others, of strangers?
Have you had more time to pick up hobbies in the house, cooking more, reading more, playing old-school games like Mouse trap?
Have you used the time to think about career/education options and directions?
Have you spent more time with your pets?
Have you saved money on things like restaurants, going out clothes and petrol?
Have you been driving less and easing your environmental impact?
Have you been more creative with how to keep people entertained?
Have you started to think more about what really matters to you?
Being grateful for and focusing on opportunities such as these is also proven to help protect our mental health and will also support us in building a sense of fulfillment.
Similar to months where people stop consuming alcohol, I propose that we should do a similar thing through November's lock-down with gratitude.
I am going to set a task for you all, including myself.
To not complain about lock-down to other people throughout November.
This simple (but not necessarily easy) act will prevent us from falling down the rabbit hole of negativity, but will also prevent feeding other people with a view surrounding obstacles and fear.
Imagine how much better this experience would be for everyone if fewer people were so negative about it all and instead encouraged each other to see the potential opportunities.
We will most certainly still think negative thoughts but it is about how we manage those thoughts and whether we voice them outwards to influence others.
Trying to flex our gratitude muscles by asking ourselves questions similar to those highlighted above can help us to snap out of negative thought patterns.
Focusing on gratitude first thing in the morning will also help set our day up in that direction.
When we are walking around with a mindset of gratitude, opportunities will be more visible because we are actively seeking the positives in all things.
Put it this way. On a walk in the forest who spots the most deer, the person who is thinking about deer or the person who is thinking about their mortgage?
Either way this lock-down is still going to happen so now it is your choice if you want to fill this time with fear or with gratitude and opportunity. It's completely up to you adventurers.
GLHF (Good Luck Have Fun)
Warrick
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