I recently spent a day with long-time friends. Our friendship started in our early twenties as carefree and courageous young men with the world at our disposal. Our conversations were filled with optimism for our futures, light-hearted jokes and a sense of unwavering certainty. Now, some twenty years later, the conversation is somewhat different. Although each of us has spent our lives working toward the dreams we shared all those years back, our conversations were no longer filled with the optimism we once had. 

It would seem that the culprit is none other than the Covid-19 pandemic which has had a significant impact on the economy and the psychological well-being of many people. More of society now lives in fear of job security, contracting the virus and being in public.

It’s easy to fall victim to the unfortunate news which plays every hour. This constant reminder of the world as we now know it can serve as a catalyst to depression and anxiety. So how do we go about adapting to this new normal? 

To adapt we need to have the right attitude, we need to feel good otherwise this fear drives the negativity deep within our souls and ultimately forms part of our personality. We become non-operational and this leads to failures in all aspects of life including family and business.

To overcome fear a change of attitude is imperative. Like most things in life, it starts with you. Your ability to focus not on what you don’t have, but instead on what you do have; The present. “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift––that is why it is called the present.” – Bill Keane

Fill your life with positive influences friends, mentors and co-workers. Find time every day to listen to a podcast, watch a YouTube video or read something positive. Practice gratitude be thankful and make others feel good. The easiest way to feel better about yourself is to help others in need. Whether you have a lot or a little to offer, just remember that small acts of kindness can be just as powerful as big donations. Simple kindness can start a chain reaction of similar actions, resulting in your effort’s initial results becoming magnified many times.

Too much structure can have a negative impact on your positive attitude. It can cause you to get stuck in a rut and unexcited for your days ahead. break your routine and do something different, and never feel guilty about taking time out for yourself to simply do something you enjoy.

Creating a positive mindset isn’t easy and is usually uncomfortable. It means taking a step outside of yourself and looking at your thoughts objectively. As with any desire, if you want it bad enough and are willing to walk outside of your comfort zone it can be yours. The most important thing is to believe in your ability to make it happen.

“A single footstep will not make a path on the earth. So a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind. To make a deep physical path, we walk again and again. To make a deep mental path we must think over and over the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives.” –Hendry David Thoreau

Keep on Hustling

Karl