What is the gift of crisis?
There's a reason why the CHINESE character for crisis stands for Danger and Opportunity. What may appear to us as the scariest of scenarios could very well be your chance to finally take the leap you've always needed to take to make your dreams come true - but never had the guts to. This crisis is a gift in the sense that, today RIGHT HERE AND RIGHT NOW we have the chance to see what we DO have and make the most out of it -- instead of trying desperately to find what we don't have. This is a big gift for all of us: the idea of gratitude. We were so stuck in our heads, in our own individual universe - but this time of crisis is forcing us to think like two fishes in the fishbowl -- once they realized that everything they do affects the other one, they started taking care of water, food - looking at all opportunities as a team -- finally creating this great environment for all of their generations.
Is this unrealistic positivity?
It's not unrealistic and it goes beyond positive thinking. It's about changing our filter. Think of human beings like cameras, do you remember those cameras we used to change the lenses and filters in order to get the best shot? We've been given the gift to see through different eyes. The beauty of perspective is that it does translate into action at a time like this. Everyone is getting really creative nowadays: the small business owner is finding creative ways to stay open, my next door neighbor and all of us are looking for better offers and discounts to buy food, and that gives the supermarket fellows the opportunity to offer you good quality products at a payable price. This is awesome! This was unthinkable a year ago.
TOOLS FOR TURNING YOUR BREAKDOWN INTO A BREAKTHROUGH:
- Retrain your mind from "ME-ME-ME" TO "WE-WE-WE"
For so long, we have lived with a "me-me-me attitude." Now, we have to change that to a "we-we-we attitude." (And not the French kind!) Our actions are brought about by our emotions, and by retraining ourselves to think from the outside in, instead of the inside out, there will be complete shift in our thinking, and how we act in the world. It benefits us ALL, not just ourselves. This could be about our family, our friends, neighborhood, or global community. But realizing that what we each do affects the world is simple, easy, and can happen TODAY!
Practice: As you go through your day for 24-hours, notice how the simple things you do affect the person across from you, the environment, and the economy. Walking vs. biking, smiling vs. being grumpy, tipping at Starbucks
- Own your voice
When was the last time you purely heard your own voice, unedited, unfiltered, and without the layers of others opinions? For years, your voice may have been cluttered with what was important to your boss, your spouse, your parents… and have lost a sense of what is important to you.
Practice: Sit quietly. Scan yourself for eight seconds, right now and ask yourself "What do I really, really want? What do I care about?" It's like the world is giving us the opportunity to spend more time during this red light. Write down the three things that immediately come to mind. Then write 2-3 sentences about each of those and see how "care" shows up on the page. What can you do TODAY that will move you towards what you care about?
- Make new agreements
If you think about all the things that you do and all the things you don't do, it comes down to agreements. You agreed on paying a mortgage, on working for this or that employer, on eating x or y, and so all those things are negotiable.
Practice: What agreement can you make or negotiate in order to be more in line with what you care about? This will allow you to stay connected with the future you'd like to create. This could be, "I commit to leaving the office at 6pm." "I commit to having dinner with spouse/family three times a week." "I commit to reaching out to one friend a day that I have been out of touch with." Write it in red marker, schedule it in your iPhone, anywhere that you'll see this reminder of what is important to you.
- Celebrate
This time of crisis reminds us all that we don't need an occasion to celebrate. Do it today--- kiss your wife, go for a walk, learn a new skill that you always said you didn't have time to do. Reconnect, reconsider, and have an attitude of RE-ME!
Laid off, divorced, facing financial disaster? What appears to be the worst time of your life might very well be the best thing that ever happened to you. Gonzalo Cordova will help you find and receive the gifts of crisis. The Gift of Crisis is a survival guide for anyone looking to take bold action to flourish in this time of transition. Our paradigm-shifting approach offers strategies to not only survive the current storm we're facing, but also rise above the water in the midst of it.
July 22, 2009 from 11 a.m. - 12:00PM >> Details
