The ability to focus on positive things and optimistic thoughts is what separates successful business people from the rest. If we choose to control our thoughts and focus on the positive, we will find ourselves in an advantageous position on the day the COVID-19 crisis ends. This situation is an opportunity to grow and achieve that advantage over competitors.
During the past few weeks, the news regarding the Coronavirus has been the center of attention for all media channels. It catches us when we look at the newspaper, as well as on our cellphones, computers, emails, etc. Everyone around us is talking only about that.
However, more than the health aspect of the virus, it is interesting to see how the world reacts to it: The stock market has plunged, nations are locking themselves up, events have been cancelled, and millions of children are sitting at home and not going to school. In the US and in Europe, the panic generated by the rising number of diagnosed cases has led to scenes of people swarming the stores and to sights of empty aisles (especially in the toilet paper section). The price of a bottle of hand sanitizer is now ten times as much as it was just a few years ago.
A substantial part of this behavior is driven by one emotion: fear. Fear is a natural feeling, which is a reaction to a potential threat to one’s safety or wellbeing. However, when fear is not based on solid facts, it leads to negative behavior and poor decision making.
How can we avoid making decisions based on fear? Or worse, how do we not live in a constant state of fear?
As the well-known mentor Tony Robbins once said, “there are three decisions which we make every moment of our lives.” The first one, according to Robbins, is what to focus on. What we choose to place a spotlight on influences our whole lives. Everything we focus on, we feel – whether it is true or not.
So what do you choose to focus on? Do you consciously let the mainstream media and the fear become the center of your focus? Or do you, as the mentor Jim Rohn defines it, “stand guard at the entrance to your mind”?
This does not mean living in a bubble or ignoring the reality you live in. It just means making conscious choices regarding what you are willing to put time, effort and energy into. Especially during these times, we must remember to stand guard in that sense, and focus on the positive. If we don’t control our fears and what we choose to focus on, our environment will gladly choose for us…
Our life conditions do not dictate our destiny. What we choose to put in the center is what really influences our lives. No matter what we focus on, we feel it – whether it’s true or not. If right now your mindset is that the economy is falling apart, and that this situation is horrible, you will feel awful in general and your actions will be a result of fears and concerns.
We are in a unique time, when the volume of fear and stress is high. If we don’t actively think, we let someone else dictate what our thoughts are focused on and what our intentions are. It is in our hands, or rather in our head.
However, what happens if we shift the focus of our thoughts to where we want it to be? What if we say, “everyone fears and freaks out, but this is a good time for us to adopt a different approach”? As Warren Buffett once said, “while other people are panicking about the headlines, you shouldn’t.” If we have the strength to ignore the prophets of wrath, better opportunities can come to us especially in times of enhanced pessimism.
If we were to focus on this advantage, we would be feeling completely different. I’ll remind you again: focus = feeling. Once we focus on something, we give it meaning. It doesn’t matter whether it’s the beginning or the end, a blessing or a curse, the meaning we give a certain situation is what controls how we feel about it. And from our feelings stem our actions. So, we must decide: 1. What to focus on. 2. What it means for us, and what we are going to do about it.
When we consume news content, we should check: Are we getting good news on all of the wonderful and magnificent stuff happening? On special things that people have done and are doing today? I wish, but most likely we are swarmed with dramatic headlines, with the purpose of catching our attention. Media outlets are in competition for our attention with the small screen in our pockets, with social media, and with texts and alerts all day. But, we can decide that other than the minimum news we need, we only consume positive, optimistic content!
Going back to Jim Rohn’s saying, “stand guard at the entrance to your mind”. You alone decide what thoughts and beliefs you make a part of your life: what to focus on, whether to feel angry and frustrated, or alternatively, excited and thankful (blessed or cursed).
In these times, we must remember to stand our guard. If we don’t give into our fears and we control our focus, we will come out of this crisis stronger and advantageous over others. We will decide! That is exactly what separates A-league business people from the rest.
Do you feel a need to consult about your business? Do you want to learn how to preserve the business you built with your own hands during these hard times? You are welcome to get in touch anytime and set up a consultation meeting, through phone or video chat, during which you will receive extensive business guidance, hear about partnership ideas, and learn more about strategies to maintain your business during the crisis. We will also discuss ways to break barriers limiting your business’ development, and to jump start your business ahead.
At your service,
David Galperin
Owner and CEO, Gil Group