Three things you might need to read

When I heard the latest Covid announcements I instantly felt exhausted, with a sense of deja-vu. I doubt I'm alone. 

Moments later I happened to be looking through some old notes and blogs and three thoughts occurred to me. 

Celebrate!

We've all had a tough time. Most of us have a long list of things we haven't done or things we've not done as well as we wanted. But if you're reading this, you're alive and you've got through a lot of tricky times. Most of us have a 'to do' list, but not a 'not to do' list (I do now, since I've decided 2022 will be my year of simplicity - more on that later). How many of us have a proud 'done' list? A list of all the things we've actually managed, the challenges overcome, the small triumphs in the face of adversity. 

Perhaps we need to take a little time to celebrate how far we've come? 

'What if' thinking doesn't work

In times of uncertainty, it's really common to spend a lot of time thinking 'what if', overthinking worst-case scenarios. Those fears may come true, but it rarely helps to focus on the fears. Something different usually happens and the what if thoughts don't often any useful preparation. Repeatedly and kindly telling ourselves 'yes, I've noticed that thought but I'm going to think about what's going right instead' is more helpful than we might expect. Focusing on the small good things in the present can bring some perspective. 

Small steps add up

Sometimes it feels like we're shuffling along, taking tiny steps instead of really moving forward. We might do something but then berate ourselves that it's not enough, or say 'it's just a small thing'.

Yet those small steps can be really powerful. I wrote about the power of Kaizen here, and a while ago told the story of the US Navy Seals and how their approach might help you.