By Robert Martin
As we near the end of 2020 and start the holiday season, I look back on the year and keep thinking, “What the heck just happened?!” I’m sure most people think similarly, which is an easy trap to fall into. However, you don’t have to and here’s why:
At the beginning of 2020 the future was bright: Businesses were booming, plans were being made and, seemingly out of nowhere, we were gut punched. This was the year of the COVID-19 pandemic. The world we knew was flipped upside down, almost overnight. We were told to shelter in place and the term “social distancing” was created. Masks became a “thing,” grocery store visits were fast and furious (and without toilet paper) and eating out at a restaurant was a glimmer of times past. Again, what the heck just happened?!
After the initial shock, and as we tried to figure out a path forward, other societal issues reared up. Suddenly we were a nation that was at war with itself. Fast forward a few months and the most contentious election in our lifetimes was being fought from what seemed like a place of utter hatred. Now it feels like we are in complete chaos with no hope of an end.
So where do we go now?
When times are tough and when life delivers a few upper cuts, we have two options: Choice and control. There is a lot of power behind these two words. We can all make choices every day to control certain outcomes, and we should let our faith handle the rest. It sounds too simple to be true, but it is a healthy reality.
Choice: You have a choice today. You can choose to focus on the negativity that surrounds you or you can choose to focus on the positive. No matter where you are positivity surrounds you. Your family, your faith, your job, your spouse, your friends, this list could go on. Choose consciously to focus on the things in your life that bring you joy and happiness. Gratitude is the healer of all things negative. Today choose 10 things to be grateful for and you will find joy where it didn’t exist before.
Control: What control do we have? As humans, we have a few things we’re in control of in every situation: our attitude and our response. responses. When something happens that “seems” unfair, we must look at the situation and ask ourselves if we have done all that we can to make it right. If the answer is “yes,” we should move on. That is often a difficult but necessary action. Take this pandemic: Are you following the guidelines that are set in front of you? Masks? Social distancing? If so, that is all YOU can control. Continue moving forward knowing you are doing everything within your control.
As we near the end of the year, with Thanksgiving and Christmas ahead of us, take a chance to control your thoughts and choose to be grateful for everything you have. Focus on the positives that exist versus the negatives. By doing so, you’ll find that 2021 will be much brighter.
About the Author
Robert Martin is Director of Sales at Telesystem, an ACW Silver Sponsor. Telesystem empowers businesses across the country with a range of innovative network, communication and collaboration solutions. Telesystem helps its customers overcome some of the biggest and most complex challenges in modern Telesystem delivers enterprise collaboration solutions and networking services to businesses nationwide. For more information, visit www.telesystem.us.