Written by: Adam Zargar, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise
Are you struggling to see a positive future during this global Covid-19 pandemic? Are you feeling unmotivated and worried about the future? Is the growing uncertainty affecting you as a leader? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then as an experienced global NLP Life Coach, I know that fear is at the heart of everything you are presently experiencing. And when you find yourself dwelling in a place of fear, you have to decide which choice of definition of fear you will go with. Are you going to Forget Everything And Run? Or are you going to step up and Face Everything And Rise?
By reading this I know that you are striving to define fear as the latter. Re-labeling this pandemic as a wakeup call is an essential first step to facing everything. The mere fact of seeing it through the lens of appreciation and opportunity - as a potential gift designed to shake you into living your best life – is crucial in your rise. Through my decade of coaching successful leaders from across the globe, I know that fears are highlighting the areas in your life where you need to take consistent action and step up to be the leader you KNOW you are capable of. When you focus on these areas you will notice that opportunities will start to arise.
The purpose of this article is to disrupt the emotional fear-based response you are presently showing, in order to give you another perspective by giving you 3 of the life-changing steps taken from my worldwide downloaded e-book ‘A toast to Corona – Our disruptive friend.’ These are steps to help you live your best life and lead again with renewed confidence.
I believe that with this improved mindset, you and the wider community can radically grow from this situation. You will have more in-depth knowledge, increased gratitude for the many blessings in your life, and higher energy to push boundaries and innovate. You will be able to live a more fulfilling and purposeful life, centered around experiences, growth, and contribution.
The three strategies this article will cover are to Become the Hero, Value Time, and Raise Your Standards.
Become the Hero
As long as you think that the cause of your problem is out there, as long as you believe that anyone or anything is responsible for your suffering, the situation will be hopeless. It will end up with you numbing the pain of your life through TV, boxsets, drink, or comfort food. You will be in a perpetual cycle of regret, sadness, and anger. It means you will forever be the victim in this precious life. It is important to remember that we all go through bad times, and how we perceive and react to the challenges is what will determine our future success. The hero of any book or film did not always start that way. They usually go on a personal journey, learning how to roll with the punches, and perhaps it is the same for you. You will never be a perfect person, and nor should you aim for that. The question is, are you open to being an improving person?
"It is okay to blame Covid-19 for the weakening of your business, social connection, monetary fund, or health and for disrupting everything you thought you knew and had."
It is okay to be feeling the way you are feeling now. I have had my moments too. It is okay to blame Covid-19 for the weakening of your business, social connection, monetary fund, or health and for disrupting everything you thought you knew and had. What I want you to ask yourself and be honest about is whether you were using blame or excuses before this too. The key right now is to set a time limit on these negative victim thoughts (think minutes not days), and then react in a more empowering way, stepping up to own the problem.
What would a hero do in this situation? What must you start, stop, change, and elevate to learn the lessons and grow stronger as a result? What is the learning behind the challenge? What are the reasons behind my wakeup call?
The world will reward you and all the positive triers around you. You are the people who seek not to be average. Remember that someone out there, possibly a rival business owner or a competitor for the dream job or promotion, is working on themselves right now. They are going through a training camp within their own four walls, preparing to train hard for the opportunities that are coming their way when the pandemic is over. They have already accepted their part in why their business failed to weather this storm. They have already accepted that they stayed too long in their comfort zone and had not grown their skills or embraced online opportunities. They have already accepted that the business environment will be challenging, even when everything resumes. They are the ones adjusting their sails right now while the storm is happening. They are using the storm. You are already playing catch up, so let us get moving while they are still in sight.
"You must recognize you are and always have been responsible for the way your life has been. Own your successes and your mistakes."
Now more than ever, you must be genuinely open to development, discipline, hard work. You must move forward to dance with fear. You must recognize you are and always have been responsible for the way your life has been. Own your successes and your mistakes. It is time to step up and react in more empowering ways. This is your chance to rewrite your story and reprogram your computer. When you fully understand this, you will see a shift in yourself and attract abundantly. Quite simply, you will awaken the giant within, and with hope, you will again set yourself free. Action:
Use this powerful tool ‘OAR vs. BED’ and ask yourself are you above the line or below the line? Use the time now to get yourself above it.
Hero (cause side of life)
Steer your life in the direction of your dreams. You have the power: through your mindset and actions you take to own your reaction.
O: Ownership
A: Accountability
R: Responsibility
Victim (effect side of life)
You may as well stay in bed as life and opportunities will continue to pass you by, and it will always be someone/something else’s fault.
B: Blame
E: Excuses
D: Denial
Value Time
The 1000s of people who have died or who are seriously ill in a hospital during this pandemic would not wish for another dollar. They would wish for another moment to live life to the fullest. Time is the most precious commodity we have, and it is finite. It does not matter if you have all the money in the world, are the queen of England, or are working for minimum wage. We all get the same amount of time in a day. The difference is how you are using your time.
"If you are not using this extra time, free from commutes or distraction, to do the things you have wanted, then you have to ask yourself if it really was or is a priority."
You must use what has happened as your loudest alarm and let that be your “wake up”.
- If you were complaining about a lack of time before, or you were someone who procrastinated or someone who lived in perpetual negativity, has anything really changed for you?
- With a lack of enforced structure due to working from home, some of you who were once organized and disciplined are now using it as a time to switch off from the world. Do you see it as one long weekend or holiday? Some of you are using the extra freedom in your day to fear and worry more. Is it helpful?
- Some of you are waking up later than ever and spending the day on an extended Netflix and chill, binge eating, and drinking.
If you are not using this extra time, free from commutes or distraction, to do the things you have wanted, then you have to ask yourself if it really was or is a priority.
Your mornings have never been so important. Most successful people in the world wake up at 5 am, and I, for one, am more committed to this than I have ever been. Commit to a higher standard than the average, and you will become this standard. Use this time to create an empowering ritual that will enhance every aspect of the rest of your day and give you the energy to create the post-lockdown life that you want. Done consistently and turned into a habit (do it for 66 days in a row), your productivity, energy, relationships, health, mind will all improve. You will be setting yourself up for a better life right now and post lockdown.
Action:
Read and follow Robin Sharma’s The 5 am Club and commit with me to wake up at 5 am every day for a purposeful first hour of peace and an energy-filled morning. Split the one hour into a 20-minute exercise/ 20-minute spiritual work /20 minutes of growth. Struggling with the thought of it being 5 am? Set the clock (yes clock not mobile) next to your bed 30 minutes forward and then put the alarm for 5.30 am. It makes a big difference psychologically.
Raise Your Standards
When you or your business are experiencing challenging times, do you sink into being average, and accept the inevitable fate or do you step up, fight harder, and show your best character? This may be a choice you have to make right now. Do you go into survival mode and only look after yourself, or do you support those around you? It is during the storm that heroes are made, and medals are given out. It is during this time that your team, family, or dependent is looking for someone to guide them, support them, protect them, and inspire them. Trust will be won or lost as a result of your words and actions and whether they match.
"To truly succeed, your contribution to this world has to be about helping others."
Today you are left with a choice that will define this time for you. Spend time understanding your WHY. For it is that powerful why that will get you doing more and achieving more. It won’t come from linking the why to selfish gains. To truly succeed, your contribution to this world has to be about helping others. As a result of that, more money will come as a byproduct. The small tiny choices you will make over the coming weeks will become your habits and directly result in who and what you will become. Will you succeed or fail? It's your choice. In business, you and the brands you represent will be rewarded for stepping forward during this time. I, for one, will always remember and reward the brands, like Marriott, where their CEOs have given up their salaries during this time. On a personal level, it's heartwarming to see people continuing to pay their staff or home help, even if the current restrictions are preventing them from working. It touches my heart when I see countless people offering their knowledge and services for free. We have to care for each other.
Use this extra space and time to look at the values you want to live by and the consistent standards you wish to maintain. Look at your community and friends to see if they are encouraging you to grow or to be average. At home, look at how you are using your downtime. Are you doing more courses and reading the books that will help you grow? Are you exploring online workout videos? Or are you using the situation as an excuse to relax all day on the couch and eat junk food?
Step up to the challenges ahead. Sure, it may feel uncomfortable at the start, but just remember that every growth phase requires you to get uncomfortable first. Remember, you will get nothing in the comfort zone or as I call it the dying zone. How are you going to step up and challenge yourself as a leader today? What is the thing that scares you the most that you KNOW you must do? Who in your team or family needs you the most? How can you step up and support or reassure them?
Actions:
Here are three simple steps you can do right now to raise your standards. Choose an accountability partner to support your growth in this. It is what all leaders do by hiring a coach.
Choose a course that you think will either up-level your skillset or is something that would make your soul sing.
Set yourself a challenge to read more books and commit to a chapter minimum/day.
Choose a small habit that you want to change and spend the next 66 days committing to it. An example could be reading a chapter a day or writing one LinkedIn post a day.
If you thought that the three steps are useful and would like to understand the full nine-step strategy then please Download it for free here.
Take them on board now and then integrate them into your everyday life. Share these steps with your community and even better teach them through doing. For knowledge without action is no knowledge at all. Implement positive, small changes, and be consistent. Over time, you will develop the right habits for lasting results across all areas of your life and be even more valuable in order to serve others and create lasting impact.
Adam Zargar, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Founder of UAE Coaching & Leading NLP Life Coach. Psychology | Education | Masters in NLP & Life Coaching - Coach Since 2008 : clients in Dubai, Saudi, Germany, UK, Cyprus, Australia (Face to face and Zoom) As Featured: Dubai One TV | Studio One TV | Dubai Eye Radio | Daily Mail | Time Out Dubai | The National | Aquarius Magazines | Gulf News
