During this “global lockdown” a lot of us find ourselves wondering how to best spend our time. Chances are you will already have read lots of advice on this subject.
Apologies if you know this content already, but if this post helps even a few people, then it’s worth posting.
We are all concerned with what the future holds, but we can’t let our fear of tomorrow steal our future.
Let’s focus on today. And tomorrow, we focus on today again.
In every adversity lies the seeds of an equivalent benefit and a chance to re-orientate and re-energise yourself for the future.
With the lockdown, now is a brilliant time to move up a level and prepare yourself for the opportunities that will be available when the lockdown ends.
Here are some thoughts to help you:
Fear and Faith
As I said earlier, it’s natural to be fearful at this time.
The likely reaction to words like’ lockdown’ is to instil fear and dread.
But we can also have faith. Faith that after we get through winter comes summer.
Faith that we will get through this and faith that there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Be Grateful
Gratitude takes root in our heart and in our senses, for one beautiful moment…and then the next.
What does it mean to be grateful?
It is not convincing yourself of some false notion that everything’s fine and dandy.
Living with gratitude during this lockdown means choosing to focus your attention and time on what you appreciate.
The goal is to approach difficulties from a different perspective and not to block them out.
Appreciation has the effect of softening us.
It eases our restless and turbulent minds by connecting us with ordinary things, great and small, that are wonderful.
And that we might otherwise take for granted.
Keep Trading
If you are in business, see if you can keep selling. This will probably mean going online.
And if you can’t keep trading, then you need to protect the business.
That means to sort out the financing that you will need to get you through this lockdown.
Take care of your team, you need to keep them informed and involved so you can get them ready to hit the ground running.
Slow Down
Stephen Fry, everyone’s favourite surrogate uncle appeared on The Andrew Marr Show to offer us tips on self-isolation in lockdown.
As president of mental health charity Mind, he offered suggestions on “how to get through the day”.
Because he is Stephen Fry, he spoke of reading books that speak to his soul.
Of reacquainting himself with calligraphy on YouTube.
And of learning a new language, Esperanto. Only Stephen Fry would use the lockdown to learn a language the world was obsessed with back in the ’70s, but absolutely no one uses now.
His final tip? Take things slowly.
He said, “Even cooking the smallest thing now, I prep it, I put little pots, and I do the garlic in one little pot, you know, just like a TV chef! It’s preposterous, but it just slows my life down and stops me getting too anxious and too nervous.”
We must make look after our mental health a priority.
Doing things more slowly and thoughtfully can make a difference.
Reach Out
If you know someone whose business has had to stop trading in the lockdown, reach out and let them know you’re behind them and you will support them.
You need to seek them out and reach out to them in this lockdown.
I do know that asking for help is not a simple and intuitive thing to do. “Asking for help” is this vague skill we are all somehow expected to know, yet it’s never taught to us.
Rather than wait for them to ask for help, you must reach out to them. This means we reach people sooner and deal with them more compassionately.
This is my opportunity to reach out to you. If you’re struggling, but you don’t know what to say, trust me, I get it. Let’s talk.
All you need to do message me at this website.
Learn
The lockdown provides an opportunity to focus on learning – your learning.
Remember those books you bought ages ago when you decided they were a ‘must-read‘? Now is a great time to find them, dust them down and get to it.
Learning another language does fantastic things to fire up brain development. So maybe not Esperanto like Stephen Fry but you could try French or Spanish or even learn to code.
Input Shapes Your Output
I don’t think most of us grasp quite how much, and sometimes how subtly, our inputs determine who we become.
Our inputs, what we watch and read, and who we talk to, primarily create our perception of reality.
The sensory information we absorb through our surroundings combine to create subconscious linguistic models in our mind about how the world ‘really’ works and the best way to interact with it.
You are what you input.
That information develops your thinking patterns, and it influences your output in the form of the work you produce, the decisions you make, and the type of interactions you have.
The importance of surrounding yourself with positive influences at this challenging time of lockdown can’t be overstated.
You have the choice to focus on doom and gloom, or you focus on the positive, the possibilities and the opportunities.
That is a choice in front of you every single day.
You can choose to step up and make the time and energy count, and this is a power which you have within your control.
I’m amazed by the incredible positivity of people on my Facebook group.
We will do a live video once a week, and want the group to fill the feed with ideas, support, positivity and good humour.
Eliminate Junk And Clutter
Since many of us are indoors more with the lockdown, now is the perfect time to take a look at what has outlived its usefulness in your home and can be safely thrown away.
Holding on to the past can sometimes keep you looking back in the past, and can definitely stop you making forward manifesting progress.
To be successful, you have to be focused on looking forward, not backwards.
Cleanliness and freeing up space releases energy which can then be recycled back into the Cosmos.
It’s a straightforward way to boost your manifesting powers and will accelerate your results.
Make Mornings Count
We keep going on about the power of your mornings, and for good reason.
This is especially true during lockdown because some people may be getting bogged down.
Morning power walks are an excellent way to get your juices and productivity flowing.
It will totally reinvigorate your body and mind and have you ready for the day.
If you live in a quiet neighbourhood, you can step outside so long as it’s safe and you’re allowed to do so.
Or else you can just walk back and forth in your hallway or try some exercise indoors if you have a routine there.
This whole process will activate more of the powers of the subconscious mind and bring your creative energies to the surface.
It makes you more productive for the day and will bring you out of a negative or lazy mindset.
This too will pass, but while we’re waiting, we have choices.
It will be a defining time for everyone.
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