Well it is very clear that few of us are immune to the recent global events of Corona Virus. But what I have noticed is some people are struggling and some people are thriving. Here are my thoughts on why that is happening and what you can do to be someone who thrives.

I am sure you have all heard the phrase asking whether you are a glass half full or half glass empty person. With business closing, people dying, more people than ever losing jobs, social distancing and total lockdown it would be fair to say that now the glass has barely a drop in it. But rather than take an all or nothing approach I have always seen the glass as  re-fillable. If you take this view, then it doesn’t really matter how empty the cup is you always know you can fill it back up.

Take my personal circumstance. I have had to close my gym entirely and have much reduced income in other areas of my businesses. I like everyone else am in lockdown other than exercise or essential shopping. And as a fit, active and social person living alone with my son isn’t what I would call my ideal situation. Throw in my personal history of mental health and it could well be a very toxic and depressing situation. And I think this is common to how many people are feeling. How will I pay the rent, pay the bills, buy food or other essentials? Not to mention Retail Therapy is totally gone. Well it’s still online but without income that is just another road pathed with danger.

So, looking at all of this it is totally understandable that most people are stressed and fearful. They are in survival mode and operating from a place of uncertainty. You see most humans like stability. They like to have control over their environment and their circumstances. Our innate survival mechanism is currently being agitated as we try to come to terms with how we will feed and house ourselves in the coming months. Add to this Lockdown and Isolation. Human beings are social beings and the current climate of social distancing is attacking the framework of our society’s existence. It is not hard to understand why people are struggling.

Bring this all together and I can honestly say I am not feeling stressed about this changing world and not only have I accepted the things I have lost, including my much treasured freedom, I see this time as an opportunity to discover new things and pivot my life and business into something that serves me better. By no means does that mean I don’t have challenges or have moments when I feel deflated and unsure. I cried on the couch for hours the day I told my clients the gym was closed and realised that 3 years of blood,  sweat, and tears was demolished in less than 24hrs. But I didn’t stay there, I accepted the reality and have been busy trying to find ways to improve both my situation and my future. You see I have already faced some horrible things in life, like child sexual abuse and twenty years of addiction. I have looked death in the face many times over the years as I battled the Black Dog. But from that I found resilience. The resilience to know that whatever happens in 2020 life will be okay. Yes I will have to readjust and adapt to ever changing situations and hope that I can build new businesses to create another source of income. But every day I will keep chipping away working, learning and taking risks. Because while others are defeated by what has happened those with an entrepreneurial spirit will see opportunities where others see darkness.

There is one other thing that keeps me going and that is Gratitude. I have learnt in the past ten years that gratitude is one of the most powerful skills to have. Having gratitude for even the simplest things changes our whole perspective on life. Having lost people close to me I can assure you that being grateful to be alive is enough to sustain you through any challenges. So what are you grateful for ?

So, I would say that the major difference between those struggling and those thriving during these unprecedented circumstances is whether they think the cup is refillable or not. Because a refillable cup means you see hope where others see doom. And most importantly a refillable cup means that there is opportunity to make a positive change and you are not stuck half empty or half full.

Be The Impossible
Caroline x