See the Forest For the Trees: Regaining Perspective & Priorities

Feeling overwhelmed by the world lately? You're not alone, especially this time of the year. We've all been navigating uncertainties and challenges since 2020, from the initial shock of COVID to the ongoing economic ripples. Here in New Zealand, recent mental health reports like the Stats NZ survey conducted in August 2023 show a continuing trend of increased anxiety and depression. The survey revealed that 28.3% of respondents reported poor mental well-being, representing a 4.8 percentage point increase since 2018.

But amidst the stress, there's also been a shift. More people are prioritising their well-being, embracing "time off" not as a luxury, but as a necessity. This resonates with the message I shared in 2020 about taking a step back, seeing the bigger picture, and refocusing on what truly matters.

I am reposting this article as a reminder that amidst the chaos, there's power in pausing, reflecting, and prioritising. If you are simply curious, I invite you to explore these ideas with me. Let's see the forest through the trees, together.

Article Posted on Sept 2020 on LinkedIn:

For many, this is a challenging time and one that has created a massive impact on the way that we live, and our overall outlook towards life. For many others, a time to stop, pause, and think.

A paradoxical respite from the humdrum that was life before this. For the ones down in the dumps, and for others who fear the unknown, remember this has happened before.

The Great Depression a worldwide economic depression that lasted 10 years. The depression was caused by the stock market crash of 1929. For the current generation the word Depression- a likely misnomer; the feeling when parents restrict access to their social media or mobile devices. But for our forefathers a significant time; few among the millions that lived through this. A search on YouTube on the Great Depression, and you are bound to see visuals of long soup lines, bank closures, despair, and the aftershocks — Nazi Germany, and the advent of World War II. But dig deeper and you will see some of the greatest inventions of our times; FM radio (kids who are reading this, please ask your parents or grandparents what this or all the other inventions made in their lives), the radar, the jet airplane, and television… yes, that too! A remarkable time of triumph and human ingenuity.

Fast forward to 2008, closer to our current times and not far away - this time another event that felt like an apocalypse for the Great Recession. Similar economic impacts, but not to the scale seen during the Great Depression. Skipping the negative rhetoric here, I am sure that you get the gist of it. My point here is to focus your attention on the Great Recession's benefits like the other prior Depressions. Some below:

• According to the Russell Sage Foundation, after examining data of a half million high school seniors in the US, the foundation found a correlation between the financial crisis and the change in the student’s perception of wealth, with far more students showing an increase in their concern for others.
• An opportunity for families to curb their spending, review their lifestyle, and prioritise their spending on things they need vs the things they want.
• The launch of Uber, Instagram, WhatsApp, Airbnb to name a few.

Overall, large improvements to the human psyche and the conception of new business models and some outstanding business brands.

Well now for a challenge or more so a guessing game. For my New Zealand readers, the paragraph below is a speech delivered by John Whitehead, Secretary to the New Zealand Treasury, at the New Zealand Institute of Directors breakfast function, Wellington. For this challenge and brevity, I have removed some references. I want you to guess when this speech was delivered - the year. Read on.

“We are confronted by one of the most challenging economic environments in years, and facing up to that challenge requires significant adjustment and change. And actually, our history proves we can be quite good at that. It is important not just to tackle the immediate fiscal and economic pressures, but also to position New Zealand to come out of this stronger than countries with which we compare ourselves. Part of this involves overcoming long-standing and New Zealand-specific constraints on growth. In overcoming these constraints, we need to create advantages that foster our productivity and competitiveness. That’s not easy, but major shifts and moving outside of traditional comfort zones never is. For all the big obstacles the current crisis has put in our way, I believe it has opened up even bigger opportunities. Opportunities to do things better in the public sector, the international environment, the tax environment, and the regulatory environment. The time to grab these opportunities is now”.

Think this speech is from after COVID hit? 2020, just after COVID right?

Nope.

This was on Wednesday the 3rd of June 2009, amid the economic downturn in 2009 during the Great Recession.

My point here; it has happened before and you will hear this again. So for all the doom and gloom global economic scenarios that you are bound to be exposed to as we go to another quarter of the year, you will once again hear a massive drop in the GDP figures, LUV-shaped recessions, (yes that exists too, LUV shaped recession) and unemployment figures. In no way am I insinuating downplaying the challenging times. Yes, these are extremely challenging times and we need to pull this for our families and communities.

My humble request is to throw out the half-full, half-empty water in the glass, metaphorically speaking conversations around this, and replace it with a refreshing full glass of water. Take this opportunity through COVID, to take a moment and pause, think, review, and prioritise your values and goals moving forward. To make it easier for you, try to answer the following questions and then jot down your answers. Common try this, you won't regret it.

• Make a list of all the apparent priorities in your life right now. Jot all of them down.
• Now from this list, review and refine it further in order by identifying the top three priorities
• Now from this list, review it further as if making this change would create the greatest satisfaction when reminiscing about your life on your deathbed.
• Write it down again from the most important to focus on right now.
• Now use these priorities at the forefront of all the decisions you are going to make going forward today.Hope that this article may have just planted a seed. Remember, the forest awaits - go out there and explore it, not just with your eyes, but with your heart and mind. Kia kaha - (stay strong in Maori!)