There is a lot of stuff going on in the world currently. Most of it is out of our control, but many people are letting that chaos have an effect on their life. Understanding you are in charge of your thoughts, feelings, and actions can sometimes not be enough. Sometimes we need to feel that stress to keep us alive and sane. In this blog, I want to talk about how you can use those stresses you may be feeling now and learn how to put them towards a better tomorrow. Learning how to deal with and stay cool under that pressure from all the stresses in/around your life. Remember, you can be ice cold regardless of the raging inferno sweeping around the globe.
If you have ever felt stress, then you know it can be a very uncomfortable feeling. Stress is something we try to avoid if it will cause us pain and hardship. What if I told you to embrace that stress instead of letting it go? I would be contradicting many things I have taught in the past, but it is needed in our world today. Stress is a primitive feeling that our body has developed and adapted for survival. Our bodies develop stress to trigger our “fight or flight” mechanism in our brain/body. This allowed us to survive when we were a part of other species’ food chains. Today, we do not have the need for that type of stress anymore because we are not faced with life or death danger on a day-to-day basis.
The stresses we face on a day-to-day basis until now are bad stress. These stresses are trivial and not important to your well-being. However, in your mind, you might think that it is the most important thing at the moment. It may very well be important, but that stress is not healthy for you if it is constant. The stress/anxiety before a test is normal, especially if you have a lot riding on the exam. However, if you fail the exam, what is the worst thing that can happen? Do you have to take the class again or get grounded? The list of unfavorable outcomes can go on forever, but at no point was there a need for our primitive stress to take control. That particular type of stress is the stress I want you to avoid at all costs. This stress does not serve you and can cause more harm than good.
Looking at stress from our current situation while we are plunged into a global pandemic is a different beast. People are at their wit’s end and do not know what to do. They may have lost their job and have no money for the essentials. These people are faced with a decision to let this stress drive them to action or drive them to panic. There are some who panic, and you will see this in the form of hoardings, rioting, fighting over material goods, irrationality, and forgetting how to be a worldly patron. These actions are not needed. If you feel like you do not have enough or that you will get infected, then you are under various forms of a negative mindset.
In these trying times, there is no better time to remain positive. There was a joke going on about how many people are becoming more negative because they did not want to test positive for COVID – 19. This is sad because it means that people are losing hope. People are letting the stress get to them and make negative and selfish choices. Yes, you might have a fridge full of food and a garage full of toilet paper, but the negatives outweigh the positives here. How much of those groceries will go to waste? How much are you overeating because of your overflow of groceries? What if you got what you needed and used the excess money to help the economy, invest, or save for a rainy day? It is hard to see when you are in the moment, but after the storm has passed, you can see the results of your actions.
Staying cool under this pressure is the mindset that I want to teach today. A famous quote says, “The devil said: You cannot withstand the storm. The warrior replies: I am the storm.”. This quote says a lot in very few words. This is because you have two mindsets battling. You have the pessimistic/negative side saying that you will not get through this, and then you have the optimistic/positive side saying that you do not fear what is coming because I am equal or greater than whatever comes your way. A positive mindset will come with victories regardless of the adversity. The positive mindset remained strong, steady, and cool.
Keeping your composure when the world is spinning out of control is what you need to do. There are many bad things happening right now, but what about the good? What about healthcare and essential workers? These people leave the comforts of their homes and family to help serve others. There is no greater purpose in life than service. What you do in your life has some type of effect on others. You might feel like buying seven rolls of toilet paper is not hurting anyone, but what about the person who needs one roll for their family? What hardships are they going through? We are all here in the same boat, so we have to stay calm and remain positive.
The media does make it challenging to stay calm. This is because the media seeks news that will get the most views. This type of business goes after our fears and worries and magnifies them to extraordinary levels. Though not all news is bad, I think you should create your own sense of duty and purpose. There is no reason to go out and buy gloves and masks because you are afraid. If you want to wear gloves and a mask during this pandemic, then do it to keep others safe if you are sick. This allows you to be caring instead of worried. This is what I call taking back control. You are telling your brain that it will be ok and that you are doing your part to heal the world.
If you have a limiting mindset (which is negative), then start to allow the law of attraction into your life. If you cannot find food, then try different avenues, but remain calm and positive that you will. It was two weeks ago when I made my last shopping trip. There were several items I was not able to get because they were sold out. I did not worry or panic because I could not get these items. What I did was just wait until my next shopping trip to get the items. Sure enough, the next time I went, the store had my items, but I did not take this opportunity to stock up (just in case). I knew what I needed for me to get by, and that is what I did. I remained cool even though everyone around me was in full-scale panic-buying mode.
Staying cool under pressure allows you to see what is really going on. You see people who are worried and concerned about themselves. Some of these people stress themself out when they go out to make a regular grocery trip. This is not the norm that we are used to. How can we get back to the normal we know and love? The answer is to do what you have always been doing and to pivot where need be. If you are not employed at the moment, then start to look for a place that is hiring. I know for a fact that places are hiring because I stay up to date on big companies that are hiring. Many workers who are considered essential are not going to work or quitting their jobs. These positions are open. So if you were a victim of a large-scale layoff because of the pandemic, then it would be important for you to stop stressing about not having a job or being let go and instead take the actions needed today so that tomorrow you will be in a more ideal predicament. You can stress out about making sure your resume is pristine or stress about what to wear to your interview, but keep looking forward if you have this optimistic type of stress. This stress has the ability to help you grow instead of wither away.
Many people have lost hope in the world, but you do not need to be bunched in with everyone else. You can be the leader and the light that helps people understand that there is still tomorrow to aim for. What can you do today that will set you up for a better tomorrow? That is what needs to be done. Leave those negative thoughts and fears that hold you back away from your ambition. Remain ice cold under pressure you have to deal with and come out on top. Remember, diamonds are formed by immense pressure, so understand that the pressure you are feeling has the ability to form your life into the sparkling diamond I know you are. Remain positive and under control regardless of how heavy the burdens of life can/will be.
Until then,
Michael Rearden
Founder of Reven Concepts