CREATIVITY IN ISOLATION

Every adversity or change of circumstance, brings with it the seed of an equal or greater opportunity – Change can turn into a chance

Stay at home. Self-Isolation. Social distancing. Quarantine. Lockdown. These words have typically had negative associations.

Historically, they’ve been used to keep people in their homes during a time of crisis, such as war, and they are associated with needing protection from danger, and illness. “Lockdown” is a term more familiarly used in prisons, when inmates are locked in their cells to prevent riots or quell the spread of unrest during an emergency. It’s jarring to think of these phrases being applied to our daily lives.

The meaning of certain words can shape our behaviour. Each word we use is infused with personal meanings, and those meanings are fluid, not set in stone. They weren’t chosen by us, they were imposed by circumstances – by what we’ve read, heard and experienced. That’s what feels so uncomfortable, as members of society with a multitude of freedoms, having them removed so we no longer feel in control of our lives.

We are all struggling to adapt to our new lifestyles. Your inbox and social media feed is flooded with tips and advice on how to work remotely, how to balance your responsibilities, and how to protect yourself and your loved ones.

We’re not going to tell you any of these things, you’ve already heard enough of that. Our business is about supporting you, sharing ideas to help you to do difficult things better, and with grace.

The Perception Cycle

Many years ago, I set out on a journey write a book about human behaviour and the science of happiness. That journey taught me many useful life-lessons along the way, subjects like the power of our brain and mind, our feelings and emotions, human needs, values and beliefs to name a few.

What I want to share with you now is perhaps the single most valuable lesson I learned over the twenty years compiling the project. As part of a section I was researching on our perceptions and thoughts, I stumbled across a process of thought that has proved invaluable to me on many occasions.

I call this process the Perception Cycle.

From all the research, my most significant discovery was that the perceptions or beliefs we allow to reside in our minds, have the most dramatic effect on whether we remain happy or unhappy.

Whether the subject is a person, an event, or a set of circumstances such as the temporary crisis we all face right now, the degree of happiness or unhappiness we experience, depends largely upon the belief or perception we have formed about that subject and allow to influence the feelings we have about the person or event.

It became abundantly clear that the thought process was relevant to every aspect of our state of mind and our happiness.

1 - 2: The perception we have about something creates the thoughts we have about it.

2 - 3: Those thoughts internalise and create our emotional feelings.

3 - 4 - 5: Those emotions lead to our views which in turn lead to the actions we take.

5 - 6: The actions we take generate the result of our perceptions.

So, if you are unhappy with the results you are getting, try looking at your perceptions, see things from other angles, from an alternative viewpoint. Provided you do not hang on to unreasonable, biased or unrealistic perceptions, you can change your perception and achieve happier outcomes.

The Perception Cycle will help you to challenge your beliefs on any subject. The perceptions or beliefs we have about absolutely everything can affect our happiness positively or negatively, dependent upon whether our chosen perception is the one that best serves us in any given situation.

Note: This is NOT a sales message about my book. If you are reading this, the electronic version of The Truth Will Set You Free is free of charge click here to view it

CHANGE YOUR THOUGHTS, IMPROVE YOUR RESULTS

So today, start with one word that you’ve been hearing or using lately. Change its meaning. Perhaps, instead of being on “lockdown” and feeling trapped, like your freedoms have been taken away, replace it with “grounded.”

How does that make you feel? The term grounding is synonymous with getting out of your head and into your heart space. It’s about being rooted and firm, like a strong tree that weathers any storm. It’s a phrase that beckons us to walk away from the noise of all the negative news, and to tap into the things that make us human: love, joy, connection, planning, dreaming and creation. It’s not about the freedoms we have been stripped of, but the freedom our undistracted hearts now have to relish in.

Shifting your emotional patterns by changing your perceptions, is the key to shaping your decisions, actions and life. Create a choice instead of a habitual reaction. Create an opportunity instead of a hardship. Challenge the emotions that cross the threshold of your mind and channel this unique time into a personal victory for YOU.

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