How To Handle Chaos In Your Life
If left unchecked, chaos can enter our lives and push us off our intended direction and leave us confused and unsure of what to do next. Chaos comes in many different shapes and sizes and it has the power in our lives to take our peaceful times and make them crazy. It hits without warning and when it does, it can knock us right off our intended direction and leave us lost and bewildered.
Chaos is like a mental tornado that rips through our minds with ferocious winds and total disregard for what it ruins. It can make victims of us all, spinning us in circles and spitting us out dizzy and dazed and unable to stand. Some people survive chaos and find the strength to rebuild their lives and create stronger defenses to protect them in the future. Others are broken, however, and can never really crawl out of the rubble and resume a normal life.
How can you be one of the survivors?
Like so many things, it all comes down to how you react when disruptions hit. I have seen many of my clients experience personal and professional chaos over the years of my career and their reactions vary from mild confusion to intense disarray. Some people who face chaos become overwhelmed and incapacitated; they freeze up, unable to move or make decisions. Others give way to panic and act irrationally and do things they normally wouldn’t do. Still others are overwhelmed with emotion and fear of impending doom. None of these common reactions make it easy to soar through chaos unscathed.
The best reaction to chaos is calmness. Realize that chaos is a combination of what you create in your life and what you allow. To survive chaos best, you need to remain grounded and hold tight to the stillness within yourself when the currents swirl outside of you and others are losing their cool.
Great leaders have their own inner compass and are able to give a sense of direction to others in the midst of chaos. The points on their compass are their well-defined visions, values and guidelines that see them through every situation. When you become a leader of yourself, you will have that built-in compass that can always lead you out of chaos.
In the midst of the storm, look at your compass to decipher what has relevance to your journey and what doesn’t.
If you allow clutter and anxiety to stay inside of you for more than a brief, passing moment, it will put down roots and that is the state in which you will live for a very long time. However if you use your bold courage and kick the useless clutter and anxiety to the curb as quickly as it enters, the chaos can be quickly dissolved.
When chaos strikes your life remember to do these things:
- Stay calm and do not allow panic to overtake your rational thinking.
- Take stock and reflect on what is really happening around you and what is merely a picture of what is happening.
- Ask yourself if the chaos is even yours. Or does it have to do with someone else and is not really your burden to carry? If it isn’t yours, remove yourself from it.
- Examine every area of chaos that is swirling around you and either deal with it or cast it out.
- Lastly, commit to doing your best. Not every decision and situation will be perfect, but that’s part of the journey and it is okay to make mistakes.
Paula Morand, CSP is a leadership building, revenue boosting, strategy expanding keynote speaker, author and visionary. This dreaming big and being bold expert brings her vibrant energy, humor and wisdom to ignite individuals, organizations and communities to lead change, growth and bold impact. 23 years, 25,000 clients, 19 countries, 11 books, former radio personality, 10x award winning entrepreneur and humorous emcee.
To check out Paula’s newest book, “Bold Courage: How Owning Your Awesome Changes Everything” go to Amazon http://ow.ly/i8yW307ix67
To book Paula to speak email bookings@paulamorand.com or call toll-free 1-888-502-6317.