Uncertainty: Tips on Moving Past 2020

This year was a bad year for most. There were many deaths, hospitalizations, jobs lost and more. I bet last year this time no one would have even imagined what was coming up. If you are reading this praise God you have made it through this year. I’m sure it wasn’t easy and it came with lots of turmoil, but you are here. We are here to see another day and New Year, which I am hopeful it will be better than 2020. When you have been in the valley the only direction from there is up to the mountaintop. I encourage you to move forward because better days are coming and it starts with you.

Even though most of the tragedies that took place this year have been beyond our control, we still have the power to control our reaction to it all. This is the time to take Beyonce’s advice and turn lemons into lemonade. Easier said than done, but that is the only way we can keep moving forward and still have our sanity. We have to try and control our thoughts, have more faith and be optimistic, all while we are sitting in the dark. There is a light at the end of the tunnel; we just have to search for it.

As I am writing this, I just thought of a perfect analogy. Life is like an escape room. I’ve been to a few but never managed to get out. I remember when Latia, my friend and business partner, and I took the teen girls in our organization to an escape room. We made it to the last clue before our time ran out. The girls loved the experience and had loads of fun. The point wasn’t that we did not make it out of the room, the point was that we were further along than when we started and we had fun through our struggles. We got some clues faster than others but it all contributed to our experience. We have to appreciate life’s experiences, good and bad, which helps us get to that next step. After all that has happen in 2020, we all need to figure out what’s the next step for us.

We are a few days away from the New Year. It is an American tradition to set New Year’s resolutions and big plans for the next 12 months. It’s difficult to do that this year because we do not know what the future holds. Now that I am thinking about it, we never know what the future holds. Despite that uncertainty we should still plan or at least have some ideas for what our next steps will be. This is something we should continuously do, not just for New Year’s, but for every phase in our life.

Now that I’ve given my little spiel, let me share my approach for moving on and planning. The first and most important part is to have gratitude. According to Google’s dictionary, “gratitude is the quality of being thankful or the readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.” This was something that I had to train myself to do. If we are being honest this is something that I am still training myself to do. I find that meditation helps me enhance my gratitude. I am not saying that, I am not innately grateful because I am when that means something good. What I had to train myself to learn is that you have to be grateful through the good and bad, because while you’re sitting there complaining, there is someone else down the block or across the world that would die to trade places with you. Sometimes we get so caught up in what didn’t happen that we miss what did happen and many times that thing that “didn’t happen” was a gift from God that we didn’t realize at the time. That’s a lot of “didn’ts”, but you get my point. Acknowledge all of your blessings, even the ones in disguise.

Next, don’t be afraid to plan in uncertainty. Those of you who know me personally know I am a big time planner. I plan and 9 times out of 10 I execute. When I was younger I could not engage in planning if I didn’t see each step and the end result. Now that I am older, I engage as long as I see the first step and the end result. In other words, I take one step at a time and the things that I didn’t see at step one magically appears at step five or ten. I use the word magically, lightly because it really isn’t magic, it is blessings from God. The point is to have so much faith in times of uncertainty that you plan anyway and make adjustments as you go along. It isn’t your plan that is written in stone, it is your goal. Your plan may change, but believe you me, if you keep going you will make it to your end goal.

Most people have issues with the “keep going” part. Once something unplanned happens it’s all over. Pay attention that I said unplanned and not something bad. It’s all in how you phrase it. To build your resilience you have to change your mindset. That takes me to my next point, do things that help build your resilience and change your mindset. The two things that inspire resilience within me are making my goal visual and creating affirmations for those doubtful times. The New Year is approaching so I know there are several vision board events happening this month. I already have two on my calendar. Creating a vision board is great because it gives you a chance to see your dreams and goals on paper. When I look back on every vision board I have made in the past, I can clearly see that I’ve accomplished mostly everything. I only get to those accomplishments because I set up affirmations for myself. A lot of us do not realize the power of the tongue. What you say out of your mouth so you are, so you will get and so you will see. We are the visionaries for our own happiness and success. There are times when self-doubt will creep up and you need something that will nip it in the bud. Your words and affirmations do just that. Create affirmations that you know will motivate you when you hear them come out of your mouth. Don’t be afraid to be your own cheerleader or hype woman or man. You are worth it and you can do it.

I’ve shared with you some good advice to moving pass this horrible 2020 and into the new year with faith, gratitude and a plan. I hope you received it and will use it. Show gratitude for all that is and will be; make plans and set goals despite the uncertainty; and  find ways to build your resilience through the tough times. I pray that you all have an amazing and prosperous 2021. Below are links to gratitude focused meditation, vision boarding and how to create affirmations.

Liberate

Liberate is a subscription-based meditation app that includes practices and talks designed for the Black community.

https://liberatemeditation.com/

Lauren Ash’s 

Lauren Ash’s personal favorite go-to mantra’s, this experience encourages meditators to speak out loud or meditate silently on empowering words that affirm gratitude, encourage release, and invite abundance. The perfect way to start your day with mindfulness and positive thinking.

https://insighttimer.com/blackgirlinom/guided-meditations/living-with-gratitude-and-abundance

Positive Psychology

Positive psychology aims to provide helping professionals with the right knowledge and tools to apply positive psychology in real-life settings and make a difference in the lives of their clients and students.

https://positivepsychology.com/gratitude-meditation-happiness/

The Litty Board

The Litty Board is a luxury vision board that gives you space to visualize your dreams and plan out your steps to get there.

https://littyboard.com/

The 4 Step Plan On How To Create Your Own Affirmations

By Katherine Hurst

www.thelawofattraction.com/how-create-own-affirmations/