We have rounded the corner of two years of dealing with the challenges, pain, and frustration of a pandemic. It has created more problems than any of us could have imagined. As soon as we overcame one challenge (like understanding various regulations), another one popped up (like supply chain issues). At times, it feels like the challenges will never end. But that is just one side of the coin. What about the other side?
For every problem or challenge, there is an opportunity to make a positive impact – to stand out and serve others. Our ability to see both sides of the coin (the challenge and the opportunity) depends on our mindset. If we choose a victim mindset, we will only see the challenging side, because it is natural to focus on blaming others or circumstances (reacting to the situation). If we choose an ownership mindset, we can willingly see and accept both sides of the coin by being realistic about the challenge and optimistic that a good solution can be discovered.
We all use both mindsets at different times. The key is to become great at identifying which mindset we are choosing in the moment. Then, we know if we need to move from victim to ownership or if we stay with the ownership mindset.
Choosing ownership as your default mindset can be done in various ways, including:
I Believing the best in people
I Being thankful for all the great people you get to work with each day
I Being action-oriented (or knowing what your next action is)
Embracing this mindset isn’t easy, but it’s the best way forward if we want to cultivate positive outcomes from difficult situations. If we all do this, just imagine how awesome the future will be! You can find even more helpful steps for achieving a positive mindset and modeling mental fitness in the Leadership article.
Scott Peterson, CEO
