Most of us suffer silently at times from bouts of internal insecurities, fear, or anxiety.  We are human, and even a little frail at times.  And entrepreneurs or creatives often struggle on an even higher level.  In my coaching and leadership forum practice, I am personally feeling the anxiety in this moment.  Studies show that 9-of-10 people don’t deal well with stress and it’s everywhere. How are you at managing your state of mind?

In the last three weeks I’ve:

  • Had to consider postponing some of my forum events because of the pandemic.
  • Had to cancel a European trip to visit my son.
  • Had difficulty sleeping because of worry and volatility.
  • Been arguing with my wife Michele (over the littlest things) because I’m feeling on edge.

I am feeling anxious, tense and uneasy because that’s what fear does to all of us.

But, in the last three weeks I’ve also:

  • Started listening to meditative background music in my office to stay at peace.
  • Started thinking of every challenge as an opportunity to create something new.
  • Re-committed to a new book I am writing called “Blind Spot”.
  • Reminded myself that anxiety is human, part of life and a part of entrepreneurship.
We are multi-faceted and filled with paradoxes, aren’t we?

MY INSIGHT:

We are all in this thing together, and these are the moments when our true self shines.  Does fear control you or does your daily practice carry you through?  Every one of us is feeling unbalanced because we have entered a moment of real uncertainty.

I’m reminded, there are three things we all can control:

  1. What are you focusing on in the moment?  Are you filled with fear or hope?
  2. How do you interpret these moments?  Do you see risk or potential in the moment?
  3. Do you manage your state of mind?  Are you choosing your emotions, or do they choose you?

When stress gets the best of us, we become vulnerable to others and operate fearfully.  What is your practice for staying emotionally fit? Masters in every discipline, jazz, science, medicine, and the visual arts, have a practice and choose their behaviors; protecting their state of mind.

I wanted to share seven choices you can make today:

  1. Routine.  What’s your daily routine to optimize a resourceful state of mind?
  2. Story.  What’s the story you tell yourself, and is it time to change the story?
  3. Fear.  Which fears dominate you and how do you break this cycle?
  4. Rebound. When are you at your best, how do you recover quickly from a defeat?
  5. Accept.  When we fight things in ourselves, we empower it.  What must you learn to accept?
  6. Mindset.  Stress hinders all forms of performance.  What’s your relaxation practice?
  7. Intention.  How do you intend to operate with gratitude during a period of change?

We all struggle with doubt, worry, and denial at times.  We are all experiencing a moment, but fear and retraction is not the answer.  Take some time to pause and reboot as you approach the future.
Are you working with someone to assist you in interrupting your reoccurring limiting patterns, building your capacity?  What practices are you choosing to incorporate into your daily life?

What’s your process for staying in an open, positive creative mindset?  It’s still a choice.