The World is going into a state of an (enforced) period of reflection. An opportunity to panic, or grasp this valuable time to think and consider where we are; and where we are heading. It's the point when you pull back a bow, just before you release the arrow. The question is, which direction is your 'arrow of life' pointing? 

Will great things emerge from this historic happening? We are seeing the real value of communities, which direction people are aiming; some selfish fear-based behaviours while others are organising support for those in need. Not because they have too, but because they care. They are opting to work together. 

Some Need to Remember

  • The root cause of panic is the inability to make good decisions.
  • As the coronavirus is proving, humans don't decide and control what happens in this world. Nature does.
  • Life is fragile; it always has been, so keeping calm and working together is a sure better bet of getting through it.
  • Prolonged feelings of fear, loneliness and chronic stress suppress our immune systems, as well as suppressing our creativity which we need to work our way through this.
  • Our adaptive immune systems are the very thing we need to help protect against these mutating viruses. Not wallowing in fear.

Going Forward

Whether we self-isolate, social-distance, work from home or do none of these, this is an excellent opportunity to improve ourselves - which we have been putting off for years. Time to get fitter, to start to grow some (organic) vegetables and herbs in the garden or pots, to read books, listen to podcasts, catch up with loved ones by phone, email or write, but perhaps, more importantly, to check-in with ourselves. 

Self-Coaching Your Way Forward (5-minute exercise)

Take a moment to sit down, take a deep breath and breathe out slowly relaxing, releasing your fears and anxieties. 

1) Place a palm of a hand on your forehead, pause and ask your head the question: "What is really important to me?" And just make a mental note of the answer. 

2) Now place the palm of your hand over your heart, placing your focus on your heart - feeling it beating. Pause for a moment and repeat the question, "What is really important to me?" And just notice what comes up. If no immediate answer, that's OK this is not a cognitive exercise, its an intuitive exercise.  If no answer, ask for what is the theme and make a mental note. 

3) Finally, move the palm of your hand onto your gut, pausing and feeling the warmth of your stomach and powerhouse, asking yourself the question "What is really important to me? As before, notice what comes up. If no immediate answer, this is OK too, just ask for what is the theme, and make a mental note. 

Are all the answers the same? (probably not)

Calibrating Your Answers

Taking your answers, repeat the questing sequence asking your forehead, heart and gut in turn, but this time, ask “How important is [insert your answer] to me on a 1:10 scale?” 1 being not important and 10 being extremely important. Out of the three answers, note which is most important to you.

Is your arrow of life pointing in the right direction? That is, are you living towards what is really important to you? If not, what baby steps can you take today, towards achieving this?

Rhetorical Questions

  1. Will humanity be wiser from our enforced reflection period? Time will tell. 
  2. What creative new ways of working and keeping in touch will we devise?
  3. Is this the crumbling of the old reality, before the creation of the new reality?
  4. What difference are you making to your family, community or world?