When US president Franklin D Roosevelt took office in 1933, America and the world was in the grip of the Great Depression. It was a massive economic and humanitarian crisis – people lost their jobs, money, houses, lives. It was a time of great uncertainty and fear.
We are facing a time of great uncertainty now – we are all concerned about many things, including our jobs and livelihood, the future of the economy, and our health and that of our loved ones.
Speaking to the people President Roosevelt said “the only this we have to fear is…fear itself. Nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyses needed efforts to convert retreat into advance”.
He is right, fear is paralyzing, it makes things worse, leads to panic. But what can you do, with constant talk and announcements of business closures, stock market plunges and virus number updates?
The answer is you control what you can.
Recently I had the honor of having the esteemed Brian Tracy speak at one of my Supercharge seminars. He reminded us that your success is largely determined about how you think and spoke about the law of control: you feel positive about yourself to the degree in which you feel in control of your own life.
How can you stay in control when it seems madness reigns around you? Here are some of his tips:
- Stay calm otherwise the situation takes control of you.
- Get the facts. And my advice is not to get the facts off social media. Check the government announcements and health advice. Find out how they relate to you.
- Accept responsibility. As soon as you blame someone else you lose control of the situation and your emotions. For example, whether you love him or hate him, it is not ScoMo’s fault that things are changing. Rather than blame him, take some responsibility and take control of what you can in your life.
- Ask questions. What has happened, how did it happen, what is likely to happen as a result, what is my next step, what do I do know? The more you ask questions the calmer you remain, the more control you have and the greater clarity of thinking.
- Then you take action, take charge of your situation.
At this point in time there are many things you can take control of, such as marketing, showing homes, communication, how you run your business, what you do in the case of a full lockdown and I’ll address those in other blogs.
In the meantime, starting taking control of your situation.
Register now for my upcoming FREE half-day Real Estate Brilliance webinar and discover how goal-setting, systems and processes into your business will help you get through even the toughest times.
