As governments talk about restarting the economy post-pandemic, many of us are wondering how to restart our lives.
Pandemic mode took many of us out of high circulation. It limited our social reach and forced us to reinvent new ways to function in our homes and workspaces.
As resilient beings, we rose to the challenge. At times, it was excruciatingly difficult, but here we are, ready to step into the next phase.
A few weeks ago, Jane Marczewski, aka “Nightbirde,” earned the Golden Buzzer on America’s Got Talent, a TV show that turns unknown amateur performers into household names. While possessing an extraordinary voice, Jane admitted she has a two per cent chance of beating the cancer she is currently experiencing. When the judges remarked on her glowing appearance and upbeat attitude, she said simply, “You can’t wait until life isn’t hard anymore before you decide to be happy.”
In her transformational book, Loving What Is, Byron Katie introduces us to the idea that we can question the meaning we give to situations in our lives, particularly those that cause emotional turmoil. The questioning process often uncovers a belief or attitude we’ve never questioned.
Choosing your attitude is a decision. In the same way we can choose attitudes that don’t serve us, we can choose ones that do.
What attitudes can you choose in this ReStart that will serve you better in your future?
YOUR INTERNAL LANDSCAPE
The path to making successful life transitions begins with a journey inward to discover what beliefs you hold that are either helping or hindering your ability to move forward.
When we realize attitudes are choices not set in stone, we become equipped to change the meaning we give to what we perceive as negative situations in our life. Changing the meaning can allow us to choose a different direction for the future.
You may have heard the statement, “We become what we think about.” In other words, our attitudes can turn into extensions of ourselves.
Compassion, forgiveness and a positive outlook can free us to become kinder, more accepting and flexible. In the same way, grudges, judgments and criticisms, when left unexamined and unchanged, can make us ill-tempered, rigid and unyielding.
This ReStart is an opportunity to recalibrate. Rather than go back to where we were before, we can plot a new course forward, meeting challenges with anticipation instead of anxiety, and looking for progress, not a repeat of old worn-out patterns.
One of my favourite meditative practices is to select three words that reflect some aspect of my life I’d like to cultivate. I consider each word separately, and then in combination.
The words don’t need to be similar or connected to one another, but they should resonate positively with you. For example, I may choose “calm,” “ease” and “fun.” Or “capable,” “balanced” and “eager.”
Feel the uplifting emotion of each word. Then, feel how each word, in combination with another, produces a slightly different emotional flavour.
Finally, consider the triad of words together. Feel the power and comfort of “owning” those three words and the feelings they embody individually and collectively.
TAKE ACTION
Choose a ReStart activity or action that is different than what you have done habitually. Select something that aligns with your new elevated attitude. It doesn’t need to be outrageous; feel around for something you haven’t done before that will provide a fresh perspective or a new experience.
FEEL APPRECIATION
Congratulate yourself for the choices you have made to plot a new course, and for having the courage to uncover your unexamined attitudes. Feel the magnificent being you are becoming. Practice self-compassion and be as kind to yourself as you are to others.
This ReStart is an opportunity to awaken to your best life; to bring new attitudes and greater meaning into your human experience.
Challenge yourself to step boldly into your next adventure — with attitude. Because when we take responsibility for uplifting ourselves, we uplift those around us. Let your positivity be infectious.
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