Well, the last blog I wrote was just as COVID-19 was starting to hit the United States. We were in the beginning weeks of lock down and quarantine. I was writing to you about hope and not allowing your faith to be shaken during these unprecedented times. Here we are in July and we are still dealing with COVID-19. In fact, according to some reports we have hit a surge and some parts of the country have been forced to shut back down. This pandemic has shut down cities, turned our homes upside down, and shaken global economies. While the situation may not be ideal, I think one of the most important skills we can develop as human beings is flexibility. In other words, you have to be able to take the cards that you have been dealt and create a winning scenario. As we all work to navigate this new normal, I thought it would be helpful to give you some keys for finding your center in chaotic times. I hope these truths will resonate with you and help you navigate this chaotic time.
1. Be intentional about what you are listening to. What do I mean by that? You cannot constantly inundate yourself with negative news and expect to maintain your peace. While I understand that you want to know what is happening in the world, I want to encourage you to be careful what you hear and how you hear. What you hear has the power to influence your heart. Your heart is the epicenter of our life. In other words, everything flows from your heart. When you allow things to contaminate your heart you create cycles of hopelessness in your life. I choose to focus on faith, hope and possibilities. I choose to fill my atmosphere and environment with words that facilitate peace and breakthrough in my life. Your hearing is what gives birth to faith or fear in your life. Many times we are questioning why we are not seeing manifestation in our lives. However, we fail to realize that whatever we give our ears to defines our expectations and shapes our reality. Cut off constantly negative news and tune in to the good news about your life. In essence, your life is not over, you do not have to live in fear and you still have an incredible future. Be intentional about what you are listening to and shut down every voice that would attempt to plant fear, anxiety and defeat.
2. Get up every single day with an attitude of gratitude. If you have followed my work over the years, then you know that I believe in the power of gratitude. In fact, I was speaking with a friend a few weeks ago about the subject of gratitude. This friend was telling me how he had started a gratitude journal. Of course, I told him about how I have had a gratitude journal for over twenty years and how it changed my life. One thing I know to be true is that what you focus on expands. You can focus on all the bad things that are happening in the world. You can focus on all your fears and inhibitions. Or you can focus on faith and the possibilities of what your life can become. While your circumstances may not be ideal right now, I guarantee that you still have something to be grateful for. In fact, the simple fact that you are alive and healthy is a blessing in the midst of a global pandemic. Gratitude is a spiritual law and practice that will change your life. You cannot be fearful, negative, worried and grateful at the same time. Gratitude changes your physiology, psychology and your spiritual position. See every day as a gift and every moment as a blessing. Gratitude will anchor you in the midst of uncertain times.
3. Find your center. If you have followed my work over the years, then you have heard me talk about finding your center many times. What exactly does that mean and what does that look like? Finding your center is finding the divine synchronization and syncopation of your life. In other words, it is finding the rhythm of your life and knowing how to hit the reset button. So many times our lives become chaotic because we lose our center and we start catering to our circumstances. We start living from the outside in instead of the inside out. Essentially, you were not created to be defined by your circumstances. You were created to dominate your circumstances. In order to dominate life, you have to do the inner work to ensure that your life is always in rhythm and in flow. Our lives get out of sync when we allow ourselves to be distracted from what is important and divided in our focus. Finding your center is finding the right pace that will empower you to thrive, prosper and succeed in every area of your life. One of the greatest battles you will ever face is the battle to remain centered. The world around you may be spinning out of control. However, through discipline you can maintain peace in your world. When you find your center the outside world will no longer have the power to influence your inner world. You will experience true and lasting peace and nothing will be able to steal that away from you. Finding your center will empower you to be unshakable.
4. Never lose sight of your purpose. As you know, part of my assignment is to empower people around the world to fulfill purpose and maximize their greatest potential. Many people admire my life today but they do not understand my journey. I am respected around the world as a thought leader. However, it has taken years of growth, development and refining to get to where I am today. I have had to endure seasons of pressure and crisis and remain focused on my purpose. One of the things I find troubling about leaders today is that they appear to be polished but they have not been processed. I know this because you are only polished through pressure. Most leaders avoid pressure but they want to be powerful. I have had to endure seasons of crisis, crushing and contradiction in my life. However, I could not allow contradictions to break my concentration. I have developed the skill of prioritizing my purpose. Many people have declared 2020 canceled. They have abandoned their goals and given up on their dreams. They have made COVID-19 an idol in their lives. Therefore, they worship every single day at the altar of COVID-19. Personally, 2020 was never canceled for me. I have continued to accomplish my goals, refine my gifts and stay focused on my assignment. I have not allowed what is happening in the world to make me lose sight of my purpose or my destiny. Your life still has purpose and you must live with a vision. Your vision does not change because of a pandemic or civil unrest in the world. Vision triumphs in the face of uncertainty and crisis. Vision thrives in the midst of trials and tribulations. Vision outlives and outlasts crisis because it is divinely given. Your life always has purpose. When you get consumed with your purpose nothing will have the power to stop you!