12 Sep When is the Right Time to Practice Positive?

I think we can all agree there is a lot of crazy stuff happening in our world today – two back-to-back major hurricanes, massive fires, earthquakes, nuclear weapon tests to name just a few of the most recent occurrences. With all of this temporary insanity, we’ve also experienced an increase in fear. Some people are worried about their own safety or the safety of others. Many are fearful of the political situation and what might happen as a result of who’s in office. Even more are predicting more dire challenges ahead.

The heaviness is all around. I get it. I certainly had moments of fear for people I love. I had moments of guilt that I was safe and sound on the West Coast while my Houston friends (and now Florida friends) were struggling. Fear is normal in these types of situations.

I talked with a friend from Houston yesterday who had been helping rip out drywall in another friend’s house. She talked about how those who lost so much are still walking around in a state of shell-shock. There really aren’t words that will bring comfort now. However, in time, they will realize they are going to be all right. This sparked an interesting conversation with my friend about how to help people find the positive when they are going through a crisis. We agreed that unless they’ve done some internal work prior to the catastrophic event, it is unlikely they will be able to hear any positive message.

Now we’ve seen huge positives come out of Hurricane Harvey’s destruction. I cried as I sat reading Facebook posts to Evelyn while we were in Peru about the tales of kindness and love from strangers who were helping my friends with their houses and their families. Catastrophes play no favorites and it quickly becomes clear that we are ALL together in this thing called life. 

So, how do we best get through these challenges and stay focused on finding the positive? The answer is to start long before the crisis ever shows up. Start finding the positive in the easier things like bad traffic, a trip to the dentist or a stressful day at the office. Recognize fear when it shows up and write a new story that approaches that situation with love. Unless you’ve practiced these positive behaviors, it’s tough to pull them out when you need them most. The work starts now.

It’s the choices you make today that will give you the foundation to support you when it gets really tough. This is when we dig deep and know that the Universe always has our back. We may not be able to see the positive in this moment, however, we can know the positive is there and keep moving forward. Keep your focus on what you DO want and what you CAN do. And right now, offer your support and LOVE to all who need it most. All those affected will need us for many months to come.

High5 Leadership will do our part in any way we can. Starting now, for every class we sell through the end of 2017, we will be donating a minimum of 10% to International Relief Teams or other relief efforts. We invite you to join us by donating to this amazing organization at https://www.irteams.org/donate. They not only take cash donations but other necessary items as well.

Additionally, we invite you to join our High5 Leadership Momentum Community Facebook group. If you are already a member, we ask that you invite others to join this positive community. We have opened this previously exclusive group to everyone who will benefit from our positive message, who wants to make positive changes in their lives, and who want to be part of a supportive community focused on leaving the world better today than yesterday!

Practice positive when it’s easy, so you will be rock solid if your world gets rocked!