Staying Focused - Keeping Your Cool Through Trying Times

It seems that lately you can’t turn on the TV or the radio, or even much talk to anyone without hearing about the recession, financial hardships or general economic disaster. We all seem to know someone, who knows someone who has been devastated by the recent turn of events in our financial markets. But historically, every downturn has eventually been followed by an upturn. This certainly holds true in financial markets, and in my experience, also in our personal lives. The key is to weather life’s storms gracefully, keeping a positive and realistic perspective. Being able to do so will not only leave you feeling happier and healthier, but it will also allow you to maintain greater control over the outcome of unsettling events in your life. Here are a few tips to help you stay focused through life’s turbulence and storms, whatever they may be.

1. Keep your emotions in check. While I understand the desire to yell, scream, rant, rave, cry or otherwise vent, this is going to do very little to solve the immediate problem. As a matter of fact, an emotional response immediately puts your body into fight or flight mode, reducing your reasoning abilities, and impairing your judgment. This is no way to handle a problem! Save your emotions for loving your family and friends, that is what they were meant for, not governing our lives.

2. Just the facts. The best way to get yourself out of an emotional response, is to take a very clear look at the facts. Get out a pen and paper, and write down what is going on. If it’s financial difficulties you are experiencing, take the time to do a current statement of net worth, evaluate your spending and your saving patterns. Having this information plainly in front of you will allow you to make clearer and more sound judgments on what the next best step is.

3. Keep your eye on the prize. Remember those goals you set earlier in the year? Whenever you’re facing a challenge in any area of your life, go back to your goals – what it is that you really and truly want for and in that area. If you’re having relationship difficulties, ask yourself if your current relationship is truly reflecting where you see yourself in the long term? If it is, how can you work through the current situation, and if not, is it time to gently let it go?

4. No snap decisions or sudden moves. It’s really easy when we get into “crisis mode” to make a snap decision. Your boss ticks you off yet again today, and you decide that this is the last time! But ask yourself if that snappy comeback, is worth the backlash, or if quitting is really going to make it any easier to pay your mortgage or your rent. Take some time, assess the situation, and then act. You’ll be clearer and calmer the next day, and if you don’t feel as impassioned then, maybe it wasn’t such a big deal after all.

5. Show a little discipline. When we’re stressed out, on edge, and ready to snap, focusing on our goals, putting it in writing and counting to ten may be the very last thing we want to do, but trust me, it’s worth it. Now more than ever it’s important to stick to your guns. Being able exercise a little discipline may be all it takes to keep a bad situation from becoming a disaster, and in the end it separates the men from the boys, and the women from the girls.

6. Seek new information and get some support. I believe it was Einstein who once said that it is your current level of thinking got you to exactly where you are right now; rely on someone else’s thinking to take you a bit little further. Whatever your challenge or situation, getting a little more info can only help. Read up, become better educated and better informed. Seek out a mentor, an adviser, or hire a coach.

So my challenge to you is…… to simply stay focused. Take any current situation that is stressing you out, or driving you nuts and follow the steps above. Allow yourself some time for new answers, new awarenesses and greater clarity to appear. Being able to move forward in the face of adversity can leave you with an amazing sense of power and freedom, and new found strength.

So this week… Get clear! Keep your cool! and Stay focused! The payoffs are big, and you’ll be glad you did!

Love, Life and Laughter! Hunter