The Coronavirus pandemic has changed our way of life.
Companies are adapting to new conditions.
Online stores and services have introduced contactless delivery, and office workers are quarantined and working from home.
Rules have changed for everybody.
But even though it might be hard to see it now, this storm will eventually pass. But for now, while we’re smack dab in the middle of this new normal, it’s even more important to look for ways to make this situation, and any problem we may be facing, to work for us.
If you’re ready to learn how to turn any problem into an opportunity, watch my video above, or read on for more.
5 Strategies For Turning “Your Problem” Into “Your Opportunity”
“The obstacle in the path becomes the path. Never forget, within every obstacle is an opportunity to improve our condition.” – Ryan Holiday
What if you had the ability to flip your obstacles and turn them into opportunities?
Here are 5 simple strategies for doing just that.
1. Change Your Perspective
Let’s imagine for a moment that your next-door neighbors decide to plant a beautiful new hedge in their yard. Sounds great, right? Unfortunately, their fancy new fern grows so tall that it creates a dry, sunless patch in your yard… and all of your plants die. Yikes!
You could have a hissy fit, get mad, and head toward that hedge with your chainsaw, or you could choose to change your mindset.
Instead of starting a war with your neighbors, you consult your trusty gardening books and find out which plants would thrive in a dry, shady home. Now, you no longer have an obstacle, you have a brand new garden project!
The same principle applies to life. We choose how we look at things. How we approach an obstacle determines how daunting it will be to overcome.
By controlling our minds, we’re able to see things as they are, not as we perceive them to be. And that gives us power. Even if you can’t change the obstacle in your life, you can still change your mindset. You can choose to react in a different way, and the obstacle will begin to shrink. What starts as an immovable obstacle can become an opportunity instead.
2. Utilize What’s Happening
“There is good in everything if only we look for it.” — Laura Ingalls Wilder
Six months ago, the thought of wearing a mask in public (especially in America) was the farthest thing from any of our minds. Today, it’s totally the norm! And even more – there are thousands of people who are getting rich off of a trend that very few people would have seen coming!
If you only get one thing from reading this article, I hope it’s this: You can try as hard as you want to deny reality, but you’re only wasting energy trying to fight against what’s happening in your life, and sometimes, your resistance tends to make things worse.
When you resist what’s happening around you (or to you), you automatically operate from a place of fear, pain, upset, and unhappiness. But when you simply accept what is, and act in spite of it, YOU take back control. And that’s where all your power comes from.
This is the place where the rubber meets the road and situations begin to separate the people who fall apart from the ones who find ways to move forward and continue to get things done.
3. Just Keep Moving Forward
When you’re facing an obstacle, it’s easy to focus on what you’ve lost. But, the sure thing about every time of crisis is that it will eventually end, and even in the midst of what seems like chaos, there are still things you can control.
Take time to revisit your goals. I know I am! I’ve taught thousands of students about the power of goal setting and success building, and I believe there is A LOT of power in knowing what you want and how you plan to get there.
Then, take inventory of the things at your disposal right now — family, friends, the network of colleagues who might help you take that next step, and all the resources that are helping you economically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. These are the tools that will help you reach your goals.
Life happens, things change, and the universe doesn’t really ask our permission for how change might affect our plans. All we can do is adapt, roll with the punches, and keep moving forward.
4. Trust The Process
In the chaos of life, the process provides us a way. The next time you’re facing an obstacle, try not to think through steps A-Z. Just make the next best decision, right now, with what you have. Don’t worry about what might happen later, or what the big picture looks like. Just keep moving forward. Once you’ve done that, make another, and another. Before you know it, that problem that seemed too big to overcome will be miles behind you!
5. What’s Right Is What Works
We spend a lot of time thinking about how things are supposed to be, or what the rules say we should do.
We try to get it all perfect. We tell ourselves that we’ll get started once the conditions are right, or once we’re sure we can trust this or that. When, really, it’d be better to focus on making the best of what we’ve got.
There are a lot of ways to get from point A to point B. It doesn’t have to be a straight line. It’s just got to get you where you need to go. But so many of us spend so much time looking for the perfect solution that we pass up what’s right in front of us.
So, no matter what problem you’re facing, remember that there is a solution, even if it seems a little unconventional. The goal is simply to get beyond that barrier. You can run, jump, or simply walk around it, as long as you get over it. Think progress, not perfection.
So, now what?
Even as the world fights this terrible virus, there are opportunities for those of us who choose to see them.
If you’ve been laid off, this could be the perfect opportunity to focus on starting that business. Not able to travel? Take time to learn something new.
Don’t get me wrong, there are always going to be days when you feel bad. Nobody’s saying that you should put your bad thoughts away or that you should not be allowed to feel down or negative about anything, ever. That’s absolutely not the case, and you wouldn’t be human if you didn’t have days like that.
But the bottom line is this:
If you can learn to see the opportunities in every situation, you’ll start to attract more of those same things that you want to receive in your life.
Remember: it isn’t our external circumstance that determines how OK we are. We don’t get to choose our problems, but we always get to have the final say over how we react to them. With a few tweaks to our thoughts and responses in the face of uncertainty, we can find ways to enjoy the lives we have been blessed with. How will you use the problem you’re facing to your benefit? Please let us know in the comments.
For your freedom,
UP NEXT: How To Banish Your Fear Of Success In Just 3 Simple Steps
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