Everyone I talked to last week agreed that it has been really tough to think strategically. Worrying about the potential long-term challenges of working from home and making decisions about how to re-enter public spaces is keeping our brains occupied with the basic need for safety.
Looking Back to Look Forward
In the middle of feeling stuck trying to edit content for a website refresh, I attended a webinar that reminded me how I got there. I recalled from my training in systems theory that we tend to repeat patterns passed down like DNA through generations. Judy Wilkins-Smith suggested I look back at which of my ancestors might have been afraid of losing income, consider their circumstances, accept their decision, and then make a conscious decision to respond in a different way.
Fear as a Gift
Judy offered a new perspective on fear – consider it an opportunity to grow instead of something to avoid. Thinking about a time when I overcame fear took me back to jumping off the high dive at the neighborhood pool for the first time. Very scary before I did it and a little less scary each time afterward. That jump gave me the gift of courage, which is what I need now to keep moving forward and trying new things.
I invite you to consider which of your ancestors experienced something similar to whatever it is you fear right now and then decide how to use that fear in a constructive way.