Focus on what you can control

It is human nature to point the finger when things are going wrong. It is a way of diverting responsibility to make ourselves feel better. Suddenly we become experts on what should have been done.

Too often, in times of stress, we turn into creatures of judgment and gang up against people that are in decision-making positions. In doing so, we move the person at the receiving end into a state of stress and defence, which, in turn, disables them from performing to their best ability.

Moments ago, I received a phone call from a client who had just lost a major contract due to yesterday’s covid announcement. This contract was their lifeline, their ‘make or break’ after months of struggle through the previous period of lockdown.

What do you say to these people?

Nothing.

You can’t control what people think or what they say. And you can’t control how they react. You can only control how you react.

Focus on what you can control.

Think about how you can be empowered by taking full responsibility and about how you can help the situation. What you will receive from this way of thinking is a sense of meaning, a sense of contribution and a sense of making a difference. And the bonus is that you will empower others along the way, so that everyone benefits.

It is important that we see the bigger picture with covid. Look at the varied implications of a decision – from those in government, to business owners, to residents in aged care homes. What is the right approach? Can you stand on top of the mountain looking at everything that is going on below and make a balanced decision for everyone?

I know I probably couldn’t, but I can take responsibility for my own situation and acknowledge that it probably looks a little different to what I had planned. There will always be hurdles along the way, some bigger, some smaller, some forced upon us, some self-created.

In any situation we can choose to dig for the opportunity in the adversity. As one door closes, another one opens. Make it count!