By Joyce Paron, President, Canadian Division, EXIT Realty Corp. International
Is this ever going to get better? When are circumstances going to change? What did I do to deserve this? These are ineffective questions. They keep us in a holding pattern, like a plane circling in the air waiting for clearance at the airport, unable to land on a solution to whatever problem we might face.
This type of behavior can happen when we don’t want to be present in our current unpleasant reality. We can feel frustrated, exasperated, defeated and unable to see any light at the end of the tunnel. It can become too easy to get focused on the negativity of what we feel we can’t do and keep spinning the doom of it all in our mind. However, your awareness of this behavior is always the key to the beginning of change.
Shifting our focus to what we can do, no matter how small of an effort or action, brings hope. When we repeat these small moves day after day, they create a momentum of accomplishment in the matters that we CAN control. Unlike ineffective questions, effective questions create positive inertia and help lift us up to see and welcome opportunities that either didn’t exist or we couldn’t see because of our mindset.
Try asking yourself questions such as these:
- What is one thing I can do today that will make a difference in the direction I want to go?
- Who could I reach out to for good advice to help alleviate this problem?
- Where do I most need leverage right now, and what is a cost-effective way to obtain it?
You’re full of potential, and opportunity waits for those who act. Let’s land the plane and get to your destination. Let’s focus on what it is that we CAN do right now and allow grace to peacefully guide us in our patience, faith and action.
