Why the message from the Serenity Prayer can help you build success during uncertain times.

I have been giving my time to many groups over the past few months to help with the impacts of Covid-19 on lives, communities and businesses. Many companies have been hit hard by this pandemic and where there was a thriving business in January, there is now an uncertain business with many delays, cancellations and lost revenue. As a Business Professional, you may be feeling overwhelming fear, stress, frustration, anger and unhappiness right now as you try to navigate through a new social distancing norm and hope for a return to more normal times. This is to be expected for us all as a global pandemic has not been part of any of our lives before and was a historical event only. Now we are living through this situation and do not fully understand how it will evolve over the next year or more.

When there is uncertainty, there is doubt and fear. With doubt and fear, comes stress and anxiety. With stress and anxiety, comes the inability to cope and function on a day to day basis which will help no one and put pressure on our immune systems at a time when we need to stay healthy and strong for ourselves, our families, our communities and our businesses. When we become scared and stressed, we are not able to tap into our creativity to solve problems or take the steps to try new things to create new beginnings. I want to tackle this today to help you and have selected a simple prayer which I hope when considered deeply will help you push through the paralysis and try new things to build a good future for yourself at work, at home and in your communities.

There is a famous prayer that provides incredible lessons to help us navigate through the difficult times. This prayer contains advice that we can follow whether we are religious or not and it’s simplicity and clarity are why I chosen it to share with you today.

The message is very simple but powerful….

God, Grant me the

Serenity to accept the things I cannot change;

Courage to change the things I can;

And Wisdom to know the difference.

The most important part of this prayer is the concept of action and acceptance. In what areas of your life can you take action to change things for the better? What are you doing now that might not be helping you create a better future that you can stop doing and replace with actions that will optimize your future outcomes? In what areas of your life are there difficulties that you cannot change and would be better off accepting so you can live more peacefully? How would you feel if you focused on what you CAN change instead of focusing on the few areas where it seems difficult to make changes right now. I don’t mean to say that all things are unchangeable and you must give up in areas where the struggles seem too much…as many times there are things that seem impossible right now but become possible later. The intent here is to learn to let go of worries, problems and sorrows that we hold onto that we cannot change right now which is not the same as giving up. When we learn the difference between focusing on what we can do to improve our lives and accepting what we cannot change instead of dwelling on the latter, we open ourselves up to being guided towards better outcomes in all areas of our lives.

In reviewing this prayer there are 3 key personal qualities that we can nurture to guide us:

1. Serenity

2. Courage

3. Wisdom

Serenity the state of being calm, peaceful, and untroubled and is comes from the Latin word “serenus”, meaning "calm or peaceful," plus the English suffix -ity, meaning "quality or state of."

Here is how you can tap into Serenity each day:

• Give Thanks-take 2 minutes each day to activity be grateful for all that you have in your life 

• Spend time each Day without Noise-Sit quietly outside or reflect in a journal without TVs or computers or cell phones to find your center

• Spend Time talking to people who support you-Express your feelings and fears to people who listen and support you to find renewed strength

Courage is defined as mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty and is a quality shown by someone who decides to do something difficult even though they may be afraid. Courage varies from individual to individual and what scares one person might seem trivial to another like a fear of heights. Many of our fears are related to taking action for our hopes and dreams. Some fears are also related to financial/emotional and mental stressors or factors.

Here is how you can tap into Courage each day:

• Recognize and accept your Fears-Spent time to listen to your inner voice

• Probe deeper for hidden emotional triggers-Ask yourself what is the best and worst outcome and observe your emotions

• Imagine positive outcomes to issues that cause fear-Aim for the best outcomes

• Keep momentum by taking action-Don’t let fear paralyze you from taking positive steps

Wisdom is defined as the quality or state of being wise; knowledge of what is true or right coupled with just judgment as to action; sagacity, discernment, or insight.

Here is how you can tap into Wisdom each day:

• Be honest with yourself and others-We sometimes deceive ourselves and others because we are scared, ashamed or embarrassed. Wisdom develops as we learn to be more honest in our world start to grow as a result.

• Focus on the process instead of the outcome and learn from your mistakes-There are many mistakes made each day and when we dwell on the negative, we lose momentum and inspiration. When we focus on learning and the process instead, we can achieve more and sustain our efforts much longer.

• Believe that you have a positive contribution to make-Think about a year from now. What did you do to create your success for next year. What contributions will you make?

Today, I challenge you to start each day by tapping into serenity, courage and wisdom to keep up your momentum in your work and life.

Remember the lyrics from a famous Bruce Springsteen song:

“ It takes a leap of faith to get things going, It takes a leap of faith you gotta show some guts, It takes a leap of faith to get things going, In your heart you must trust”-— Bruce Springsteen in "Leap of Faith"

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 Patricia (Tish) Conlin is a Talent Solutions firm owner (20+ years building success as President of Global Consulting Group Inc.), Speaker, and Coach. A passion for health and leadership development led her into international public speaking and coaching. Conlin is a Certified Emotional Intelligence Trainer, Registered Holistic Nutritionist and Black Belt Martial Artist. She is the author of ABCs of Food: Boost Your Energy, Confidence, and Success with the Power of Nutrition. She is currently working on her second book and on-line course about leadership and resilience. Visit Conlin’s Coaching website to energize your performance and life with our on-line training programs and courses at  TishConlin.com Tish coaches Business Professionals for more success by combining the nuts and bolts of the business with powerful shifts in habits and transformational personal and professional breakthroughs.