Look at past generations. People went through real plagues — waking up each morning, wondering whether their spouse or their children would succumb to the horrors of an unknown disease. Slavery and intolerance that is affecting us even today. Consider the Tulsa Race Riots of 1921. People were targeted for
being black and self-reliant. There businesses and homes were burnt, and three hundred lives violently snatched from existence.
The point is, hard times are not exclusive to us. Others have been through even worst, and they have managed to claw themselves up and out of disaster. That’s a freeing thought.
Most will come out of this time with an even deeper reliance on the government and a lower level of personal responsibility. They’ll draw no lasting lessons from it, and as soon as life gets back to normal, they will go right back to taking everything for granted. The opportunity this time offers while others are caught like a deer in headlights will give you a jump start and build momentum to reach your passion and make a
difference.
You know I love television and film, but I couldn’t waste this opportunity by watching copious amounts of Netflix and not using the solitude to work on myself. I choose to adapt to the times and reconstruct the narrative I tell myself about the state of the world and what I can and cannot do. All survivors throughout history have done that. True wisdom is about getting better at living, and that takes effort.
I sit down and meditate with pen and paper about the things I tell myself because that story I repeat in my head, the story I carry around with me, defines my actions. And my actions will dictate who I become. On lock down amongst other things, I’ve been programming in the kind of story that will get me where I need to go. Sometimes it takes hold quickly, sometimes it doesn’t, but if I keep working at it, I’m getting stronger.
And I’ll be damned if I don’t use this time to build up my mental reserves for the shit to come.
Train your mind to face everyday hardship - develop a habit of overcoming obstacles by pushing yourself. An adaptive mindset is your best friend, an ally you can count on. Remember, only your mind can heal what your mind created.
Don’t be afraid of adversity. Don’t fear change. Whenever you become anxious, redefine that feeling as excitement because it genuinely is. Embracing challenges, learning, adapting, and growing will put you on a path to success that most fear to tread.
Welcome to invincibility.
“A ship in harbor is safe — but that is not what ships are built for.”
— John A. Shedd
