What's the Gift?

Is it just me feeling anxious right now or you are feeling that too?

Holidays? Midterm elections? Financial tightness and holiday expenses are coming? Schedule will be so messed up with holidays? Not looking forward to overeating and missing exercise?

How can we turn around the anxiousness? Let's talk about a plan. Actually,  today I want to share just one step. It's actually a tool that I learned many years ago and in my recent coaches training I heard it again. I also taught it during the recent Stress to Success Challenge. You can listen to the video by opting in here.

"WHAT'S THE GIFT?" TOOL 

This tool involves taking any situation in your life, no matter how bad it is, can be turned into a gift or opportunity.

That requires some explanation, because clearly many things happen that are initially perceived as negative, from annoying to catastrophically life changing.

To employ this tool, we can look at any unwanted event from three perspectives: 

1. What can I learn from this? 
2. How can this make me stronger or test my creative mind powers of empathy, exploration, innovation, navigation, and activation? 
3. What inspiration can I take from this to create something of value to myself and others?

Perspective #1. What can I learn from this? 

An example would be when you lose an important client, or an important relationship, or some other kind of loss. Asking the question “what can I learn from this” can lead us to develop skill that allow us to achieve at a far greater level than if the ‘negative’ event had not happened.

Perspective #2. How can this make me stronger or test my creative mind powers of empathy, exploration, innovation, navigation, and activation? 

This is to use a difficult circumstance to test how well you can stay in your creative mind mode, even under trying circumstances. Like going to the gym and testing the strength of your muscles so you know what to work on to improve.

The questions to ask when something happens that triggers us, or creates a small or huge perceived loss, are

• Which creative power is needed to meet this challenge? 
• Do I need to empathize with myself or others?
• Do I need to explore with really happened with blameless curiosity like a fascinated anthropologist?
• Do I need to use the ‘yes and’ game to explore options and innovative solutions?
• Do I need to navigate and choose an option by using the end of life perspective; at the end of my life, if I was healthy of mind and body, what would my wiser, elder self have me do in this situation?
• And finally do I need to activate, go into action with calm, laser-focused clarity?
• Do I need to learn the ‘interrupt the saboteurs’ for removing obstacles to clear, calm, focused action? 

Perspective #3. What inspiration can I take from this to create something of value to myself and others?

This perspective is perhaps the most challenging, particularly when the negative event is catastrophic. The inspiration my be to do something related to the event, or some other profound change in life direction not directly related to the event. An example is Candy Lightner, whose daughter was killed by a drunk driver. She channeled her grief into positive action, founding Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and has saved countless lives.

Everything in life can be turned into a gift or an opportunity!

What's now?

The question for contemplation and action is: how do you think you could use any of these perspectives to create value for yourself and others from experiences you would not choose to have?

If you want to learn how to sail through holidays with ease, join our upcoming training Healthy Holiday Eating - 3-Step System to Not Overeat, in which I will teach you one of the best mental preparation techniques. This tool can be used to thrive through holidays and beyond by imagining, planning and following your plan. Register here

Yours, Nadya

P.S. I have used some terms that are likely unfamiliar to you. Set a time with me and I can explain more or you can check out this program.