Learning to recognise your successes so far can really help change your perspective on your current situation. By acknowledging the good things that you have achieved recently will make a dramatic difference because moving forward from a great place is far easier than trying to escape a negative rut that you may believe you are in.

Put this technique into practice immediately and you’ll find your barriers are no longer as high or as strong, and taking action becomes a whole lot easier.

We’d love to hear how this works for you and if you have alternative versions that other ActionPodcast listeners would benefit from as well. Leave a comment on this podcast!

Have you recently started something new, or been hesitating from taking the plunge?

Paul & Sam explore different ways of dealing with the teething pains of trying a new challenge, and how you can let them be helpful rather than harmful. Take your pick of perspective shifts to either motivate, strengthen or sign-post you along the way!

Uncertainty in whether their surgery will allow them to walk normally again, uncertainty in where their next pay cheque is coming from, uncertainty on whether their role will be eliminated in the corporate reorganisation.

How much uncertainty you can handle has a dramatic impact on the quality of your days, weeks, and life. There are a few powerful distinctions that you need to make to survive times when you don’t know the outcome or how things will get resolved.

Myth: Uncertainty causes anxiety

Fact: Uncertainty is part of life, how you respond (think, feel) is a choice

When we think safety, security and stability are necessary for our happiness, and get anxious and fearful when they aren’t guaranteed in our current situation, we must realise that we can ALWAYS choose how we respond.

Some things we can’t control. But what we always control are our attitudes, thoughts and which resources and people we draw on to keep us moving forward and our heads held high.

For example, two people get made redundant from the same jobs in the same company. One person freaks out, convinced they will never find anything else in this ‘bad economy’. The other person quickly updates their CV (resume) and starts making contacts in their network, confident in their abilities and looking to gain an even better job. Same ‘job uncertainty’, very different choice of response.

Myth: Uncertainty is a bad thing

Fact: Good and bad depends on your perspective and what you choose to focus on

If you’re going through a tough time, and are worried about the outcome, remember there are always two sides to any situation.

If you feed your fears with all the negative possibilities, it definitely will seem like a very bad situation. But when you seek out the positive, you will always find it – the good is always there when you look for it.

This could be new opportunities that you hadn’t considered before, new skills you’re going to learn as you solve the problem, new lessons you’ll learn that will dramatically, and positively, impact your decisions going forward.

A case in point – someone very close to me recently found out they were a victim of an investment fraud and lost a considerable amount of their life savings. Their immediate response was “I’ll guess I’ll have to create more value in my business to earn that all back as soon as I can”. No panic, no depression, no anger, no ‘why me…’

They chose a powerful path to not only to focus on earning back that loss, but it challenged them to think bigger and wider on how this will spur them on to growing their business in whole new ways.  Sure they were in shock and saddened by this very ruthless crime but they chose not to dwell in that negative state and quickly shifted their energy to build empowering momentum for a profitable future.

Myth: Uncertainty must be tamed

Fact: The quality of your life is in direct proportion to the amount of uncertainty you can handle

When you accept that life is one big bundle of uncertainties, and quit trying endlessly to prevent events outside your control, you open up to the wonders of learning, growing and an abundance of happiness that is always there for you.

The next time you are hit with a situation leaving you uncertain about the outcome, make sure you stop and review how you are responding. And more importantly, decide how you would really like to respond…then choose wisely on what happens next.

How do you handle uncertain times? What strategies or experiences have you had that worked really well for you? Leave a comment to let us and the other readers know. We’d love to hear from you and you might just change someone’s life in the process.

It’s no surprise that a common theme amongst books today is ‘Leadership in Tough Times’.  It’s an interesting topic, and one that applies to the business world as much as it does to our own personal lives.

How do you respond in tough times, when life presents a ‘major problem’? Do you get angry and look to lay blame on others? Do you freeze like a deer in headlights, convincing yourself you don’t know what to do next? Maybe you seek shelter from the storm by running to a friend, the fridge or some other pleasure-seeking distraction? Do you just cover your head and hope it will go away?

Or do you behave in a way that empowers you? That enables you to rise to the challenge and accept responsibility for making a change? Have you developed emotional fortitude to confidently face the tough times and strengthen your willpower to overcome the odds?

On reflection, I realise I have developed a few core beliefs that help me to keep calm and determined when things get shaky, leaving extra reserves of emotional strength to lead myself and others towards better times.

1. There is no problem I can’t handle

I have a belief that God won’t give me a problem that I can’t handle. Regardless of how ferocious, colossal or down-right nasty the problem is, I trust that I will be able to handle it.

It doesn’t mean I will know the answer or enjoy dealing with it, or not freak out along the way. But rather, I have faith that my capacity – and the capacity within each one of us – to take on enormous challenges is always greater than we think it is. I will use my strengths, my creativity and my resourcefulness to find the solution and make it so. One bad problem does not overrule all the good I have in my life, and keeping it in perspective really helps.

Tough times won’t destroy you. You can handle it, and I know you will.

2. The bigger the problem, the more I will grow

As a powerful complement to that first belief, I know that when a problem lands, it’s just another occasion where I am going to be challenged to grow. It’s an opportunity to learn more about myself, my compassion and my abilities. The bigger the challenge the more I will have to dig deeper into my convictions, to use resources I forgot I had, to work on strengthening my will, my faith and take my next step forward.

I understand and recognise that it will teach me important lessons (including painful ones I don’t want to face) and cause me to come out on the other side a better, stronger man for the experience.

This isn’t a belief or perspective I’ve always had: it’s one that surfaced a few years ago and serves me very well to keep a level head and spend more time focusing on finding a solution, than dwelling in the pain of the problem. Pain is a part of life, suffering is a choice.

It sounds odd, but now on some level when a big problem arises, I actually get a little excited to see what I’m going to learn and how I’m going to grow from this. This has totally shifted my approach and empowers me like nothing before.

That’s not blind optimism; it’s a truth that is always there for you to see as soon as you decide to be open and look for it.

3. Leaders are made in tough times

It’s easy to be a leader when things are going well. Profits rising? What an outstanding CEO! Back-to-back championships? The captain and the coach are the greatest of all time! Yet, the true test of a leader is when things turn for the worst. Can she remain focused yet flexible to still achieve her goals? Can he rally the troops to not lose confidence and inspire them to dig deeper, work harder and become closer as a team?

I see tough times as a calling for me to step up and become the leader I am meant to be.

When the going gets tough, you need to believe, not doubt; to create, not destroy; to bond not separate; to step up and  defy the odds, set a new standard for yourself and those around you.

Having all these empowering beliefs, does not exempt me from misfortune and periods of immense pain. So when stuff happens I simply remind myself that ‘this too shall pass’.

All pain is temporary. Yes, the sun will rise again and there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. Despite all your best intentions, keen desire and self-belief, sometimes you just can’t fix the situation. But hold on to the knowing that tough times won’t last forever. You CAN handle this, and the experience WILL enable you to become more of who you are meant to be.

How might these ideas help you to respond differently in the future? Leave a comment to share how you used to respond in tough times, or what you find works best for you in coping with big challenges. Other readers, and I, will appreciate hearing from you.

In this podcast, Sam and Chris discuss three levels of listening and offer practical tips to ensure you not only listen well but remain engaged and interested in your conversations.

This topic was inspired by the recent request from a listener, and our answering podcast – The Dance of a Social Butterfly.

If you have downloaded the podcast from iTunes remember to post a review and visit our website at ActionPodcast.com to leave a comment or contact one of the presenters directly. Sign up to receive the podcast directly to your inbox, plus an additional weekly blog post! You’ll also be the first to receive a copy of our new e-Book.

Paul and Sam talk about how this helps them look at things from a new perspective, sharing tips and tricks on how you can bring this resourcefulness into your daily life.