Written by Daz Burns
Sometimes we all need a little help reminding ourselves of our strengths and how important these are to help us when we have to be adaptable!
The questions and concerns
What’s going to happen on Friday?
We’ll wait and see what happens on Friday.
Let’s just see how things pan out.
What time is the press conference on Friday?
I think we will stay in Level 3 longer, we should all prepare for that.
I think we’ll be in Level 2 by Tuesday.
Uncertainty.
Change.
Waiting games.
Opinions.
Guessing.
Worry.
Fear.
Stress.
Anxiety.
Optimism.
Haste.
I can almost guarantee that you have at least one friend that has said almost every single one of those statements or shown those qualities over the last few weeks.
I am no Jacinda Ardern, Ashley Bloomfield, Siouxsie Wiles, Grant Robertson and I am definitely no Chris Hipkins encouraging opening legs at this time. ???
And good gracious, I am bloody grateful to not be in any decision making position to save Aotearoa – but I will be an incredibly good team member and do all the right things.
I certainly stay the fuck home. ?
And I 100% control my controllables.
I am the first to admit I have felt uncertainty, worry, anxiety and fear, but I have also felt optimism and safety.
I also have to admit that I have said ‘let’s wait and see’ I don’t know how many times!
But what I am most proud of has been my adaptability within these Lockdowns.
And my level of calm, to be honest.
None of us have crystal balls.
None of us have magic wands.
None of us have fairy dust.
And none of us have a blue genie.
But we do have ourselves.
So let’s really hone in on ourselves and our strengths.
Strategy to enhance our strengths
Tara Lorigan (she gets many shout outs from me) taught me an incredibly useful tool in our first lockdown.
Every morning when you wake up, you take 60 seconds to think about what you have on that day and all the strengths you need to bring to it.
For example, you might have a meeting where you need to negotiate.
So you need to bring confidence, resilience, action and perseverance.
In the case of this lockdown, you might have little humans who need school and emotional support, while you and your partner both try to work, manage your household and keep your energy up.
So you need adaptability, flexibility, patience, kindness, understanding, empathy and concentration… among other things!
By doing this every day for a month this became a habit I no longer had to do each day in order to be able to rally the strengths I needed in moments of challenge, anxiety or uncertainty.
It has meant that uncertainty, at this time of our lives, hasn’t stopped me moving forward.
It hasn’t stopped our family living with positive attitudes.
It has helped our team to adapt quickly and resiliently to change.
And it has given me a great big pat on the back that all the work I put into rallying my strengths has had lasting positive effects that I can share with everyone around me, my whānau, my friends, my team, my community, and you, so we can all thrive!
Summary
Give it a try team.
60 seconds in the morning.
100% manageable.
Pop a reminder on your phone if you need to.
Or a sticky note on your bathroom mirror.
Do it early each day.
You’ll find your list gets longer and longer and easier and easier to pull together.
Then you will stop worrying about the what if’s and getting stuck in the fear zone and be confident, positive and adaptable to any scenario. ❤️
Share with your Friends
If you know someone who would benefit from reading this article, please share it to open up those conversations and safe spaces. There is power in those small moments of connection. There is peace in understanding where we come from and what life was like for people we carry with us every day.
