EMAIL #62 - 16th, March, 2020 - RISING TO THE CHALLENGE
Hi Team,
These are certainly challenging times for us all. The Corona Virus (COVID-19) situation is developing rapidly every day and there doesn't seem to be anything we can do to stop it, other than public isolation. So, the big question now is how will you respond to the inevitable shutdowns of schools, public transport, shops and even businesses?
How you rise to a challenge and respond to difficult and challenging situations largely depends on your individual "emotional capacity". Your emotional capacity relates to how you view challenging situations and then how you manage your feelings and emotions when responding to the situation at hand. People with good emotional capacity have a high level of self-awareness and seem to have more emotional energy which allows them to respond positively and rise to the challenge.
"Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it", Charles Swindoll.
Each week I read Robert Glazer's Blog post "Friday Forward" and for the last few weeks he has written about how to improve your emotional capacity. His main tips are learning how to control your feelings and improve your resilience by focusing on things that you can actually control and not focusing on things outside of your direct control.
"Take 100% ownership of things you can control and 0% attachment to the things you cannot control", Robert Glazer
How you and your family cope with the impending shutdowns and social isolation, if and when it occurs, will be determined by your mindset and your ability to accept the fact that you don't have any direct control of the situation but you do have full control of how you and your family cope and respond to the restrictions.
As Robert Glazer explains, your reaction to adversity can either go two ways.
1, Anger, frustration and self-pity, (i.e. "the victim").
2, Acceptance, gratitude and duty, (i.e. "the victor").
Whether you have a victim or a victor mindset is ultimately determined by your emotional capacity and this influences "how you show up each day and how you influence others around you". Could the situation be better? Absolutely yes, but it could easily be a whole lot worse.
"Whether your cup is half-full or half-empty, remind yourself there are others without one", Matshona Dhliwayo.
Thanks for reading and soldier on!
David.
