Stay In The Questions
It has been an ever-evolving situation the past week and our world continues to be in flux with no end in sight.
Like many of you, I am asking myself a lot of questions right now and answers don’t come easy. Most answers don’t come at all.
Life is uncomfortable. Challenging. And stressful.
(A total understatement!)
Over the past few weeks, I’ve gone through the same cycle of emotion that you probably have. And the questions…they just keep coming.
Are you asking yourself some of the questions that are rolling around in my mind?
How can I keep my loved ones safe and healthy?
How can I remain safe and healthy?
When will this all end?
How will I pay my bills?
How long will this self-isolation last?
What will happen to my business or job?
How will we survive this?
What will I do now?
And the one that totally irritates me…
How can I ‘pivot’? (Apparently, this is the new buzz word that everyone is saying.)
Oh, how I hate buzz words…
But it’s true. (Darn it!)
How can we pivot? How can we accept and adapt to this current situation that is being experienced around the world?
What can we do….to help? To contribute? To stay healthy? To keep our loved ones healthy? What can we do to secure our finances and feed our families? How can we show up in the world right now?
Who can we become through the current circumstances?
There is so much we do not have control over right now. But something I’ve been working on over the past couple weeks are the things I do have control over.
Let’s get things straight first though – I’m in the same boat as many of you – I’ve lost my entire income for the year (at the moment) with literally all of my booked speeches, retreats and conferences either cancelled or postponed. It was a huge shock to experience this. And I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried. But worrying as I did in the second week of this crisis didn’t really get me anywhere other than to the kitchen to eat ice cream and comfort food.
I’m still worried. But at some point, I need to pivot. To evolve. To create new opportunities. And to use my gifts and talents to serve others in new and different ways than I did before.
We all need to do these things right now.
So, while I have no control over some things, I have come to grips with the fact that I do have control over other things. I certainly have more available time now than I did prior to March 14th, 2020.
Could I choose to ‘upgrade’ my choices for how I spend my time?
In the past week, I’ve chosen to spend my time more wisely. More diligently. More focused. Some of these choices have been tiny – seemingly insignificant – but even these small actions have eased my worry, calmed my heart, and somehow made me feel better. A whole lot better!
I decided to plant a garden and started by sowing a few seeds. Many of you are doing the same! There’s something about growing something that just feels good!
And then, I decided to come up with an idea that served to calm my heart almost instantly. I went to the river and picked a bunch of smooth rocks. And later that evening, with “W” movies on TV and candles lit, I painted little hearts on rocks to later distribute at different trails around town and on the doorsteps of a few friends. This was just a little craft but it made me feel a lot better and hopefully, people will see them on the trails and it just might make them feel a little better, too, during these unsettling times.
Another thing I’ve had a little more time to do is cherish the little moments that life offers to just “be”, if even for a few moments. Simple things like taking a moment to cuddle loved ones or watch the stunning glow of a sunset with awe and wonder have done wonders for my soul, not to mention phone calls, zoom video chats and intentional conversations with people I care about. This time of flux is offering a chance to reconnect, to slow down, and appreciate the simple things. I hope and pray that all of our loved ones remain safe and healthy and that the simple things fill our days and our hearts with a little joy and hope.
In this time of flux, how could we upgrade our choices? In how we spend our time? In what we think and/or worry about? In what we eat? Or what we read? In how we create new routines? In how we connect with loved ones, clients and colleagues? In the kindness we show to others and most importantly – to ourselves?
While taking little strides to upgrade the choices I make to spend my time more intentionally, I’ve decided to allow myself to stay in the questions that I have. To lean into my questions. Not to find answers or solutions, but rather – to simply accept what is.
We are all in this together. There is no escaping the current situation or global circumstances. Ignoring or denying what is happening won’t make it go away.
So, for me, accepting what “is” and staying in my questions has provided a bit of space to ‘be’, to breathe and to become.
It’s also provided a little space of calm and peace that I had not previously experienced. And with that, clarity that wasn’t previously available is showing up.
Accepting what is.
Accepting what is makes staying in the questions possible. And it’s only through staying in our questions that clarity will show up for us. Answers may not come to me as I want, expect or hope – but life will unfold. Discoveries will be made. Transformation will happen. And possibilities will arise – even through these most challenging times.
Stay in the questions. Try to stay positive. We will get through the current circumstances.
And what if….what if what unfolds could enlighten you…and me…and the whole planet? What if what we discover could inspire not only ourselves, but the world? What if what we experience could transform our lives and the lives of others…and what if the future we create – together – as we work through this situation, could be filled with possibilities that we never even dreamed of?
We are all in this together and together, we will get through this. Let’s do our part to stay healthy. To stay home. To stay connected with loved ones and friends. And stay in the questions rolling around in our minds and hearts.
Crystal Flaman is an international keynote speaker and social entrepreneur, inspiring you to discover your dreams and the difference you can create in the world. Anything is possible. Everything is possible. Believe in your dreams. Do what you love and be fearlessly you.
If you would like to learn more information about this topic or to have Crystal share this message with your team, (on a virtual basis during the current global situation) please contact Crystal. Thank you.
