“I can’t see a way through”, said the boy.
”Can you see your next step?”
”Yes”.
”Just take that”, said the horse.
-The boy, the mole, the Fox, and the Horse
Sometimes it feels like everything is going wrong or there is no clear path forward. In our lives, in our communities, and in our society, it is easy to get caught up in the negatives and the obstacles. What can you do when it feels like nothing is going right and you need some positive momentum to snap out of a slump? You can regain focus on what you can control.
You can’t control the price of gas. You can’t control the constant flow of negative stories on the news. You can’t control whether more people are choosing to buy from your small business. You can’t control how your boss treats you. You can’t control the people around you at all. However, you can control:
Being conscious of your budget and sticking to it.
Turning off the news and putting more positive content in front of you.
Putting out good content and consistent marketing to ensure as many as people as possible see the product or service your small business offers.
Doing your job to the best of your ability.
Getting consistent exercise to put yourself in a better state of mind.
Eating well to give your body the nutrients it needs to feel your best.
Getting in bed in time to get plenty of sleep.
The list goes on and on. When you focus on yourself and what you can control, the extraneous falls away and you can double your efforts on the things that will provide real value in your life. You will no longer spend time fretting over the doom and gloom that seems to be a constant and, instead, you will spend your time improving your life as the doom and gloom slowly disappears into the background. You will no longer stress about whether people will come support your small business because you will be so busy providing value and content to the people around you that it will be obvious to you how much progress you are making. Your boss may never treat you differently but the pride from crushing your job is of much more importance because it will allow you to master skills that will make finding a new job easier, if necessary. The sense of accomplishment will be everything you need to keep going.
Now, I’m not saying that any of this will be easy. Far from it. With the rise of social media, comparison and negativity are at an all-time high. It seems like everyone is doing better, living more fulfilling lives. It seems like there is so much negativity in the world that it can be tough to find the positives. You need to understand that most of that is a facade. At best, social media is a highlight reel of the best parts of people’s lives. At worst, it is a flat out lie. Everyone is struggling just like you. Almost everyone is fighting similar battles. It is time to stop comparing the everyday aspects of your life to the highlight reels of everyone else’s. It is time to realize that negativity sells and that is the only reason the news is shoving it down your throat. The positive side is always left behind because it doesn’t sell as well - that doesn’t mean it isn’t there. You just have to be willing to look for it.
FOCUS ON WHAT YOU CAN CONTROL. Stay off the news, stay off social media as much as possible. Go outside and get fresh air. Read as much as you can. Exercise and eat well. Most of all, make yourself proud by doing what needs to be done. Success is out there. Progress is out there. It comes to those who are willing to focus and execute every single day- even on days that they don’t want to and think it might not make a difference. IT DOES. You just have to live it long enough for it to work. Courage is putting one foot in front of the other when you can’t see the future. Be courageous. Take the next step.
