You Have 4 Options When Dealing With Any Uncertainty And Change

You Have 4 Options When Dealing With Any Uncertainty And Change Also The Coronavirus As Well

The world is not gripped by the coronavirus.

Very few people at the moment have it or have had it.

But the world is gripped by the uncertainty caused by it.

How far will it spread?

Does someone near me have it?

Will I get it?

Will I die?

What will happen to my family if I get it?

What will happen to my work or business?

Will I run out of toilet paper?

The need for certainty is deep within us all.

Uncertainty scares the hell out of most people.

When we feel uncertain, we become fearful and lose our confidence.

But the trouble with the future is nothing is certain.

And we don't know how this virus will really impact the world.

It is new, and it can be caught from someone showing no symptoms.

Because we can't see who has it or spot the virus itself, we don't feel in control.

We don't know how to act either as individuals, groups or society.

No one knows how to control this because it can't be fully controlled.

Just as we unable to control the flu or the common cold.

But what can we control?

How much we freak out.

There are four typical options or levels of thinking available to us any time we experience uncertainty.

Level 1) Get scared and stop doing things.

This works well if we are scared of the right things, in the right way and do the things that make a difference.

We need advice on what to do and when to do it.

And we need to trust that advice is right.

If not, we go to Level 2.

Level 2) Freak out and look for others who are freaking out too.

If we don't know what to do, our brain tries to make us feel in control by obsessively thinking about what we fear.

It is trying to help us find a solution by making us obsessively think about what we fear.

It makes us jump to a worst-case scenario hoping that this intense focus will summon up a solution.

This rarely works.

We just end up extraordinarily anxious which stops us from seeing what is happening and finding real solutions.

But it does lead us to do very irrational things like bulk buying toilet paper.

Then there is the social side of this level of thinking.

Misery and fear love company because we want to feel like we are not the only one going through this.

We look to find similar people so we can feel more certain and more confident.

But this is dangerous because highly anxious people will spread any information as the 'truth'.

A group of anxious people will just spread anxiety.

Of course, the media love sensational stories because they make money from them.

We pay more attention to things that confirm our fears even if they are wrong.

We ignore 'experts' who we don't know and can't trust because they are 'not like us'.

We trust the wrong people.

History is littered with examples of people doing irrational things because fear and not knowing what do, makes them clutch at straws.

This is level of thinking also makes them susceptible to calculating and controlling people.

They sound certain and we latch onto them even if we know what they say is crazy or plain wrong.

This level of thinking gives us the Perception of Control but doesn't give us any real control.

Indeed, it makes us lose control while thinking we have it.

It is very seductive but very dangerous form of thinking to get trapped in.

But there is a third option which works very well with Level 1.

Level 3) Be Flexible And Create Options

In level 1, we looked at the things you need to stop doing because they are sensible and practical actions to take.

But there is something else you can do which will not only help you deal with uncertain situations but will allow us to even improve things.

This is a skill.

It is only used by people who can control their emotions.

Then you are in control of your fear, you can go beyond Level 1 thinking and start to plan to make the best out of any bad situation.

This requires the skill of being able to see and create options.

But under stress, most people only see two options.

They become polarised in their thinking.

They can only see black or white.

Yes or no.

Two options aren't many to have.

The ability to create options under stress is one of the most valuable skills you can learn.

This is why some people and businesses do well in times of uncertainty.

This is when they can step up and take control or provide the solution that everyone needs.

The person who can only think at Level 1 is nowhere near as valuable as the person who can think at Level 1 and 3.

There is always opportunity in times of crisis.

You have a choice.

Level 1 is the place to start.

Gain as much control as possible by doing the sensible things that make a difference.

Skip over or blast through Level 2.

It makes you feel like you are in control but robs you of any control you had.

This level of thinking creates enormous damage while making s think things are okay.

Learn to become a Level 3 thinker.

Learn how to see and create options.

Once you can do this, you can do more something even more valuable.

If you have learnt and know how to see options in times of high stress, you can go one step further.

You will be able to create opportunities where other people only see uncertainty and danger and are consumed by fear.

This is Level 4 thinking.

Which one is your default level of thinking?

If you run a business, what do your staff do?

Level 3 and 4 thinkers know how to create certainty in uncertain times.

I teach people how to control their thinking in stressful times and be great solutions thinkers.

Do you need to become an expert Level 3 thinker so you can create control in the most uncertain of times?

Then it's only a short step to Level 4 where the real rewards are.

Get in touch if you have blocked your career or business because you have been stuck at Level 1 & 2.

#Leadership #Management #Results