When times are hard, it is natural to take cover and wait for things to get better. The thing is, when times are hard it usually signals things are changing. And when things are changing, new possibilities arise to create a different and better future.
From an emotional perspective, it is easy to get trapped in negative moods and not take action. Most often we fall into the mood of resignation in which we tell ourselves things won’t improve. I have found myself doing this many times over the past week. The key is to shift our mood to one of possibility and we that by taking responsibility to create a new future.
We Open New Possibilities By Taking Responsibility
When we take responsibility, we can no longer stay in the role of a victim. We take back our power rather than directing it towards something or somebody. The best way I know how to do this is to ask ourselves questions to open up new perspectives and possibilities. Here are seven questions that have served me well:
What am I learning?
What is possible in future that wasn’t before?
What am I willing to give up?
What will I not give up?
If I was starting over what would I do?
What will I do now to change the future?
What is the cost of doing nothing?
What questions do you ask yourself when things aren’t turning out how you hoped?
I wrote a post a while back outlining some of my experiences dealing with uncertainty and opening up new possibilities. You can read it here.