As the days go on, we’re finding that the Coronavirus is a lot more serious than we thought it would be. It’s spreading, shutting down schools and whole countries. It’s messing up the economy. And what’s wild is that we’re really seeing our reaction in ways that we didn’t anticipate. I have a friend who was talking about how she’s preparing for an outbreak, and her husband asked her, “Are you getting paranoid?” And she admitted, “Maybe a little.”
I think many of us are admitting things about ourselves. And I want to point out that this is a good thing. When things go along normally, we don’t get the opportunity to really learn about ourselves. But when we face these crisis situations, the inner stuff rises up to the surface and we can see, “Okay, I’m actually a pretty fearful person.” Or, “I’m a pretty controlling person.” Or, “I’m an avoider.”
And it’s good to know this. Because when we know, for instance, that we tend to be fearful, then we can learn from this and build ourselves into someone who’s more resilient. We can ask ourselves, “Who do I want to be? How can I become a person who’s not ruled by fear? How can I change my viewpoint? How can I practice gratitude? How can I come out stronger on the other side?”
You know, as the stock market is tanking and see-sawing, I’m finding that there’s a part of myself that’s kind of feeling relief. Because I tend to plan so much for the future and have my mind on our retirement as we’re getting close to it. And now I think, “You know what? I am just going to have to trust, and stop being in control.” And I think that’s a good thing. It really allows me to be my best self.
So my encouragement for you in this time of craziness is to find the opportunities to be your best self. Learn from what comes up for you. Instead of fighting it, or getting angry, depressed or anxious, ask “What if this is exactly the way it’s supposed to go? What’s the message in it for me?”
The photo on this post is some women in Wuhan who have been quarantined in the city for almost 50 days. One of the women wrote about the birthday party pictured, "That night, I felt like I won the lottery in the friendship department. Our gathering was genuine in a way that can only be shared by people who are experiencing the same thing at the same time and understand what each other are going through. This bond we have may lessen when our world gets back to normal, but for now I wouldn't trade it for anything." She also said, "God is providing so many opportunities for good while we are here, and he is showing us his goodness every single moment."
I believe in you. I shared this story, because it shows how individuals can rise above their trials. I know I will hear similar stories from you in the days to come.
To make an appointment with Broad Tree Coaching and work towards becoming your best self, go to https://square.site/book/7QYE8SFQ54E7J/broad-tree-coaching.)
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