“Needing a strong positive mindset to handle uncertainty and change isn’t the prerogative of women you know – particularly at the moment!” said my friend and colleague Mark. I think he was slightly miffed and to be honest that we had focussed our programmes on women only and he wasn’t the first person to react like that since Cathy and I started sharing our ‘I Have Got This!’ work.
And he is absolutely right, it was never our intention to deliberately exclude men. It was just that Cathy and I had first-hand experience of the impact that life changes bring and saw it constantly see the struggle in others so we were both passionate about putting that right. I Have Got This! was our opportunity to pool our knowledge and expertise and help as many women as possible in the years to come.
But if there was one overriding theme to our work, it was the idea that it really is your thoughts that count. We are living in a Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and often Ambiguous world and how we think and feel about this will directly influence how we overcome the challenges and maximise on the opportunities that arise.
Nowhere have I seen that demonstrated more impactfully for me than during the Covid pandemic. I don’t mind admitting I have had days when I have felt truly broken due to work and life pressures. Being single used to be a joy but at times since March it has felt very lonely and the recent loss of my mother has been particularly hard due to rules and regulations. Most days I think life is about building back better but I do also have days when I struggle.
I have found that the I Have Got This! 6 cognitive habits have been a great foundation to be resourceful and build my days:
Because I value and care for myself, sometimes I switch off every digital device and sit in the garden with a book and a cup of tea even though I had a mountain of work to do. I appreciate those moments and feel recharged as a result.
I am positive and optimistic so my daily conversations and regular meetings with my Dad are spent gently challenging his negative view of the situation and talking about the positives that we have experienced and seen in recent months. There is a lot of negativity in the world but there are always great stories to focus on and lift the spirit.
Working from home can be isolating but I have a small and perfectly formed group of friends and together we have become an amazing and supportive physical and virtual team! We are all open and generous to each other.
Developing I Have Got This! through lockdown 1 has been a passion project and has really helped to keep me motivated and driven and now we have gone “public” it is undoubtedly time to be bold and courageous.
All of this has helped me see this time of change as an opportunity for personal growth even in lockdown 2.0. And none of these activities are stamped ‘women only’.
So two months ago Cathy and I decided we needed to create a programme that would help anyone who was finding the challenge of Change and Uncertainty harder than they would like. We have created the ‘It’s the Thought That Counts’ programme based around our 6 cognitive habits to help individuals and teams to develop a mindset that will thrive in changing times.
We are also offering free webinars to reveal the core elements of our mindset programme to start you on the path to developing powerful thinking habits. Click to find out more:
Thanks for the feedback Mark!