Shift Happens- Keeping Positive in Challenging Times

SHIFT HAPPENS - Keeping Positive

in Challenging Times

by Susan Scotts

No matter who you are or where you are, Covid-19 has affected everyone in one way or another. The world is not the same place it was just a few short months ago. In life, “SHIFT” happens. As resilient human beings, we always learn to adjust and redirect. If you are in a state of flux with life as you currently know, you are not alone! The “new normal-ish” is something we haven’t identified yet, and I believe it will continue to change and evolve. However, many of us don’t like change − especially many of the changes that we are facing now during coronavirus. Just because things have changed, doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy life in a positive way. It just requires a shift in our thinking as well.

Please know, it’s ok to not be ok. Allow yourself to feel all the feelings. All crises are just opportunities to go back to our core principles and decide what really matters and readjust our lives to lead a life that is fundamentally more nutritious for our physical beings, spirits and souls.

With all of the external issues we’ve been faced with, I feel that many of the biggest things we are learning are internal. Introspection has surely hit all of us, with additional time to think while in quarantine. It is a time that requires our patience. Patience, according to a Benedictine Monk, means to “sit with our suffering.” Isolation can take from you, or GIVE you the space created for dreaming of what you really want for yourself, an opportunity to clear the clutter of everyday noise, activities, and even physical things we really don’t want, need or enjoy any longer. These are the times that shape us. You can choose to be shaped or to shape yourself. Are you allowing the isolation to take from you, or give to you? To shape you, or for you to shape yourself?

Here are some helpful ways to stay positive and to make you more hopeful:

THINK POSITIVELY. I know that sounds obvious, but having positive thoughts is extremely important. Good can be found in almost every situation (sometimes it is not obvious at first, but good things can positively come from what we see as a temporarily bad situation.) Perhaps now we have time to experience the small things in life and remember how special they are. Enjoying the glorious sun coming up, taking time and enjoying a delicious, flavorful breakfast or dinner with your family. Listening to the beautiful harmony of the birds chirping or simply enjoying a slower pace of life. Taking a little time for ourselves to just breathe in the fragrant grass and flowers and simply enjoy a warm, summer day. The glass is either half full or half empty, how will you choose to view it? Meaningful moments are happening that we were too busy to enjoy before. This time is allowing us to enjoy them!

MAKE A GRATITUDE LIST AND LEARN TO ATTRACT WHAT YOU DESIRE. Albert Einstein said, “In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity.” If you are personally struggling to find gratitude in your day or your life, try making a gratitude list. Get out a piece of paper or even a laptop and begin to write all the positive and good things in your life. It can be as simple as, “I have a roof over my head,” or “I have enough food to eat.” How about, “I am healthy!!” Keep writing! You’ll see once you begin, it’s easy to keep

writing and see all the wonderful things in your life. If you can’t focus on something good, think of how much worse it could actually be. Be grateful. Energetically you get back what energies you put out into the universe, so by seeing the beauty, you will attract more beauty into your life. To empower you to attract abundance in your life, I created a powerful app called The Conscious Manifestor (available in both Apple and Google Play stores). The Conscious Manifestor app provides you with a positive affirmation each day that you select and helps you learn how to utilize the art of consciously attracting abundance in your life. Why not choose to attract what you really desire today!

SERVE OTHERS. After creating a gratitude list, you can begin to see how incredibly blessed you are. To add to that list, instead of allowing this time of forced isolation to create separation, why not let it empower you to come even closer to others by helping them? It doesn’t have to be a huge expense for you to make a difference. Making a simple phone call to someone who is at high risk during the pandemic can make a huge impact. You can donate food or time to a local group who is serving your local community. The small kindnesses that will become who we were during this time will become who we are after it.

USE YOUR TIME PRODUCTIVELY. Embrace a slower pace - it’s the little things that add up to a full life. Instead of seeing this time as a punishment, try viewing it as an opportunity for additional time to do what you want to do. You can start by identifying what is important to you. As the lockdown forces us to turn inward, it offers us an opportunity to rethink what’s important and what we were meant to do. Perhaps your excuse in the past has been “I don’t have time to think about what I really want to do or the time to learn something new.” The ground has certainly shifted, and many people are reviewing their lives, reflecting not only on “what’s important” and “what makes me happy” but also “what was I created to do?” It may be time to reevaluate what you do to earn a living to have a more purposeful life. For some, it may be mandatory due to a layoff or closure. For others, it is necessary to

live a more authentic life. Together we can explore meaningful work that will make you happy and fulfilled and learn about possibilities that allow you to “make a life, not a living.” Perhaps it is time for you to consider a homebased business so you can be there for your children or a service-based business that allows others to work for you and you can then focus on what’s important to you. There are many options available that you’ve never even thought of or might have dismissed prematurely that could be a good fit for you. As a Career Transition Coach, I’ve been helping people for over three decades to become self-sufficient. A free 10-minute call will change your life, so use this time productively and let’s learn together what might be a good fit for you. Learn more on Apple App Store or Google Play or at ConsciousManifestor.com. What are you waiting for?

Susan Scotts is a multiple award winning career transition coach with The Entrepreneur’s Source® and possesses three decades of experience in helping empower individuals to become entrepreneurs through franchise business ownership. For a complimentary consultation, she can be reached at 561-859-9110 or SScotts@EsourceCoach.com.