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
crisis control executive coach and author vitalE buford discusses Ways to Embrace and Navigate Change During Times of Uncertainty
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
by vitale buford
T
imes 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 mostused 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
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.
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