My last coaching session on Friday started with grim news. The leader shared that their world was about to get rocked by a big shake-up in the organization with a new CEO and the hiring of a new C-suite position to which the leader and their team would inevitably report. That is when the new executive is finally hired, likely, sometime in February. They shared that their team is on edge and very anxious, with so much internal uncertainty, while the UX world continues to burn outside. Nowhere seems safe.
I suggested that the leader remind the team that anxiety lives in the past and the future. If we remain in the present, where we are now, there isn’t as much to fear. Worrying about what could happen does absolutely nothing positive for your mental and physical health. What remains is to focus on what you can control and endeavor to hope for positive outcomes in the future. That’s not to say that you have to sit on your hands and leave the future up to others, but worrying about it never ends well.
I also shared the story Nick Cave shared earlier this week about hopefulness. It’s incredibly powerful to hear and to hold close to your core. I posted about this and included the transcript on my blog. It’s worth reading, watching, and sharing with others.
Despite living in a world of ongoing fluctuation, adding more and more to our current “interesting times”, we can not lose hope. Center your focus on the now—today—and protect yourself with the hopefulness that you will be active in your future positive outcomes.
