There is Hope and a Future

This morning I sat in my office watching the birds outside as I always do and I was amazed at the beauty of nature. I spent some time in a mindful state just relaxing and taking in the beauty of the day. I just had to take a picture.
 
When you are in a mindful state you cannot be stressed. We only experience stress when we think back to our past or into the future. As we focus on the present moment that is all we do. Our conscious mind can only think of one thing at a time.
 
When we focus on something specific that is all we can think about. This is a great technique to use to take your mind off something which is stressing you and to allow it to focus on something pleasant. You can only do this for 20 or 30 seconds as you will soon be thinking about something else. I use this technique many times each day.
 
 
A bird in the tree
 
As I looked at a bird preening itself after having a bath in the bird bath (we boil a kettle to melt the ice) I noticed the trail of two planes flying towards the bird. This was intriguing and nice to observe. I then noticed three more trails in the sky of other planes. This was the first time in 2 years where I had spotted more than one trail in the sky at any time.
 
As I write this I can see more trails appearing. This is exciting and makes me realise that life is opening up again and we are moving out of the pandemic and all it’s associated difficulties. This pandemic has taken a huge toll on lives both physical and mental. There is a huge price to pay for the amount of uncertainty and doubt that this pandemic has caused.
 
Many people have lost their businesses or careers. They have huge mental health problems which will affect them for years to come. I teach Mental Resilience and I have felt the pressure of the pandemic and the doubts which enter our minds.
 
 
There is hope ahead
 
But today gives me hope that we do have a real light at the end of the tunnel. We look at where we are and where we want to be and there is a gap in between. It’s like a dark corridor where we have to feel along the walls until we reach the door. This is a time of doubt and sometimes fear but we need to maintain a positive mindset to get there.
 
 
One way to help you do this is to create what I call ‘Your victory list’. This is a list of all your achievements throughout life which you are proud of. They could include passing an exam, winning a race, helping someone in need, hitting a target, stopping smoking or drinking, losing some weight, getting married, having a baby, fixing something in the house, being in control of your finances etc.
 
 
A Victory List 
 
I have created my Victory list and it currently highlights 96 things which I am proud of – this number will increase as time goes on. There are ones from my childhood all the way through to the present time where I have put down the highlights of my current Mental Resilience Business. One of them is getting married to Julie which is one of the true highlights of my life.
 
Over Christmas I spent time just thinking back on my life and one by one these achievements came flooding back. I did this over a few days going back when I was fresh to see what else would come up. I have to say this was a very exhilarating experience as I had forgotten many of the successes I have had in my life.
 
 
Create one for yourself
 
And this is exactly why I am recommending that you create one of these lists for yourselves. We all have doubts from time to time and this is a great antidote to those doubts. When you receive some negative feedback which makes you doubt yourself just bring out your list and read it. By the time you have finished reading your list you will have confidence again.
 
Whenever I have doubts creeping in I refuse to accept those doubts and I switch to the knowledge that I have succeeded in the past and I will succeed again.
 
 
It has been tough
 
We have been through two of the most difficult years in living memory and it has taken its toll but the way to recover quickly is to understand that you have grown immensely throughout this period because we only grow when we face adversity. When things are going well we rest and recover.
 
Secondly we need to rebuild our confidence to face the future and our mindset is key to this. One great way to maintain a positive mindset is to create a victory list and look at it regularly. I will be sharing many more ways to maintain mental resilience in future blogs.
 
 
Thoughts for the week. 

1. This has been a very difficult two years to handle mentally.
2. How are you currently handling the situation?
3. One way to help you recover is to create your own personal Victory List.
4. Spend a few days on this going back to it a few times until you can’t think of anymore.
5. Create it in a Word document so you can add more as you recall them or create new ones and keep it up to date. Print it out and keep it nearby.
6. What you focus on is generally what you get so focus on positive things to have a better life.

As always if you have any questions or comments please reply to this blog. 

Well that’s it for this week have a wonderful weekend and be victorious.
  
Warm regards

John
 
 https://jdmindcoach.com/product/off-the-wall-how-to-develop-world-class-mental-resilience/
 
https://jdmindcoach.com/product/100-days-to-mental-resilience/