How to thrive in a crisis.

How to thrive – tips I have learnt very quickly in this current crisis of covid-19

Having just recently done a video series on ‘How to thrive’, I thought it would be good to support this with an article, as I know some people prefer written format.

The series has been inspired by what is happening right now during the covid-19 crisis, and how I initially reacted in shock and disbelief, as we all did when we got aware of the situation. So, I started to question how I would not only survive the crisis but thrive in this difficult time, this was personal but also for my coaching practice business, which initially got impacted due to social distancing and priorities changing in organisations. So, I started to understand both from experience and others on how I could switch from a survival mode to a thrive mode, and hence I created the series, which is for me as much as it is for you. And with anything like this, I would welcome your comments and additions to how you are thriving in this pandemic.

Tip #1: Commit that you will choose to find the good in every circumstance, no matter the circumstance, there are always possibilities.

We need to make some choices and some decisions, and we need to commit to finding the good in every circumstance no matter what that circumstance maybe, there are always possibilities. Take the example, of hiking up a mountain to the summit and there's a boulder in the way of the path that you were going take up. You wouldn't just give up. You would look for a different route, alternatives and a way around it to continue with your goal to get to the summit. By having a commitment to find not only new possibilities but also to look for the good in the situation, will enable you to overcome and thrive. Since going a different way than planned might result in a new and more interesting perspectives on the mountain hike that you would not have seen before, also if you are with others it may create opportunities to get to know each other’s strengths as you overcome together. So, let us commit to finding the good in every circumstance.

Tip #2: Keep focused on your purpose and goals.

Remind yourself of your purpose, of your mission, of your why. Despite your circumstance, despite the situation you may find yourself in right now your why, your purpose, your mission remains the same and is valid yesterday, today and always will be valid. In how you go about it and the timing of it may have changed but it remains valid. For example, I have a mission to unlock the leadership potential of 100,000 leaders, this remains valid and I'm still focused on that, how I go about that and the timing of that, has changed. So, let's remind ourselves of our purpose.

Tip #3: Practice gratitude.

Practice gratitude, be grateful, be thankful on a daily basis. Expressing gratitude releases dopamine, releases serotonin and these two neurotransmitters are responsible for our feel-good emotions. They make us feel good. They elicit a positive state. So, practice gratitude, be grateful, be thankful on a daily basis. Look for opportunities to be grateful for what you have, there is always something to be thankful for.

Tip #4: Celebrate success no matter how small.

Celebrate success no matter how small. Do this on a personal level and on an individual level but also do it on a team level. Look for achievements on a daily and weekly basis. As long as you are moving forward and as long as you're hitting those milestones you have set, however small they are, however the increments are, celebrate success along the journey, it elicits a positive state of mind. It ensures we keep future focused which creates a thriving mindset.

Tip #5: Make a MASSIVE investment in yourself - start living a proactive life focused on being the best version of yourself.

Make a massive investment in yourself. It is the best investment you can do, is invest in yourself. Look for ways of creating a better version of you than you were yesterday. This may be through online courses, it may be through reading books on personal development, it may be listening to inspiring podcasts. There are multiple ways of you investing in yourself. Look to ways to learn, develop and grow. So, invest in yourself, it is the best investment you can do.

Tip #6: Remove yourself from the influence of toxic people and toxic environments.

Remove yourself from the influence of toxic people and toxic environments. We know that our thoughts create emotions, are emotions create behaviours and our behaviours create actions. So be mindful of what you listen to and what you expose yourself to especially in this time of covid-19. Be conscious with the news, with social media posts, just be mindful and disciplined in what you expose your thoughts to because they all will have an impact on your behaviours in the end. Be disciplined and be focused on who you listen to as well. Just like we must be aware of what we eat in terms of our nutrition, the same goes to what we allow ourselves to be exposed to for our minds, have great nutrition for your mind.

Tip #7: Have humour in your life, laugh at yourself.

Have some humour in your life, in fact have a lot of humour in your life, like watching a funny film, reading a funny book, even joking around and having fun with friends and family. We all have the opportunity, even in these social distancing times, we can use technology to connect with others and have a laugh. Humour, having a laugh, elicits a positive state and really helps us thrive in situations like we're in now. I also encourage you to laugh at yourself, be silly, even put on silly wigs (watch my video, link here: https://www.julianrobertsconsulting.com/post/how-to-thrive-series-7) just to have a bit of fun, be vulnerable and have some humour and make other people laugh as well. So, helping you thrive right now, have some humour and fun.

I hope you have found this useful and helpful for you to switch from just surviving to thriving. We are all on a journey, and with any journey there are lessons to be learnt, so I would encourage you to share your own experiences of thriving initiatives to help the wider community.

All the tips above have been born out of a video series, so if you would like to see the full series then do visit my blog, link here: https://www.julianrobertsconsulting.com/blog

Enjoy your day thriving!

Julian

Executive Coach | Founder