It has been a long hard road these last few months. The world has been rocked by the chaos of the global COVID-19 pandemic. We have experienced new echelons of chaos, change and uncertainty that have shaken, destabilized and darkened our lives in so many ways. It has been a challenging time and the road to recovery we are on is a long journey with still many miles ahead. However, I feel it is time and I hope you will join me in realizing like a phoenix from the ashes it is time for us all to rise and re-invent ourselves post COVID-19.
The following are four important strategies and recommendations to help you accomplish this and emerge from the darkness of the last few months as a better, stronger, brighter, more confident and capable version of yourself – ready to embrace the new world we live in so you can find your way to happiness, success and fulfilment.
It Starts with Attitude
Yes, we have experienced many hardships and that could leave you bitter and unhappy, questioning life and the world and even blaming the circumstances. However, this will hold you back and now is the time to MO’ve forward.
“Whether you think you can and you think you can’t you are right,” said Henry Ford. Our attitudes influence our thoughts, our thoughts influence our beliefs, and our beliefs influence our actions and outcomes. If you want to positively reinvent yourself to thrive in the new normal than you must adjust your attitude to help you build MO’mentum in the direction you want to go.
Think about how you want to be and what are practices and activities that help you find that true state and authentic self. Jim Rohn said: “You’re the average of the five people you spend the most time with”. Who in your circle can you surround yourself with to help you remember to maintain the positive and hopeful attitude to be at your best so you can become your best?
Insert Power Posing into your Day
What if I told you with just a few simple exercises you could dramatically shift your physical and mental energy and confidence levels and improve how you feel about yourself? Stand in your strength with “Power Posing” a method I created based on the work of social phycologist Amy Cuddy. While we have known that our mind can change our physiology (our body), Amy proved the reverse is also true; that our posture affects how we feel and how we behave (confidence). Amy Cuddy’s work highlights the importance of standing in a high and open “power pose” versus low and closed postures. Practicing the “Power Poses” for just two minutes can dramatically improve your confidence and lower your stress which so important to help you meet new challenges and seize new opportunities to help MO’ve you ahead with reinventing yourself. There are three “Power Poses” called “Superhero”, “Strength” and “Victory”.
Mo’s Three Power Poses
“Power Posing” is a simple strategy that is quick to do and doable any time and multiple times throughout your day. Do your “Power Poses” first thing to start your day strong. Or if you need a mid-afternoon boost, take a break to reboot. Power Posing is also a magnificent tool for when we have an important meeting, presentation or other high priority engagement where we might feel a little unsure of our ability to succeed. We all have doubts and fears but to overcome these we need to stand up, step up and power-up our sense of self, and inner reserves to reinvent ourselves. Plan how you can use “Power Posing” to reinvent yourself starting today!
Identify Your Goals and Inspire Yourself with Your Vision for the Future
Where do you wish to see yourself? What are your dreams and goals? Having a vision is so important to MO’tivating us to MO’ve forward, and it is this vision that will be the key to re-inventing yourself post COVID. Our vision and our goals may need some adjustments given the change in our lives, situations and the way we must now do things. So, re-visit those goals and see how you can re-invent them to match your new reality! Look at the different areas of your life, your career, your health and fitness, your family and relationships, etc. How are they doing now and where do you want to see progress and improvements? Have those big dreams and goals and then break them down into manageable steps and reverse engineer them. What action can you take today to get you one step closer?
Intentionally Learn to Let Go
We cannot MO’ve forward if we continue to live and dwell in the past. One of the greatest realizations we must all come to reinvent ourselves post COVID is that things will not be returning to the way they were prior to the pandemic. If we dwell on what once was and what we no longer have we will remain in a state of grief and lack that will stall our MO’mentum to MO’ve ahead and find the success we dream of for the future. Learn to look at what is and what you have to work with and how you can find opportunities in the circumstances presented to you now. Change is inevitable and what the world will be like in six months may look completely different from what it is today or even next week. We can never go back to set the intention to let go of the past and what no longer serves you to MO’ve you forward into the future and the new, stronger and better version of yourself that is waiting for you.
Invest in Education and Up-skilling
One of the greatest ways to reinvent ourselves is to improve and expand our knowledge and skill set. Learning is a very transformative process and will be a critical part of the process to reinvent ourselves. We will all have a lot of learning to do to learn how to work within and respect the new protocols and procedures required to keep us safe in the new normal. Be open to this learning and look for other avenues to develop and expand your competencies as a professional in your industry. Especially now, with so much uncertainty. Being confident in your skills and empowered with new knowledge and expertise will help you stand out and make others be much more trusting of you.
One of the greatest shifts and reinventions the fitness industry has seen this year regarding the conditions of this crisis is the transfer of most in-person conferences and events to online platforms. This has been an incredible move and required a reinvention to adapt to circumstances by developing a new set of skills and abilities to continue to serve and support their industry.
It might seem easier just to “take a break” this year if you are used to doing your training and learning with in-person sessions, but I caution against this approach. It is so important to stay connected and engaged with your communities and keep learning and stay informed with the latest knowledge and developments with your work and in your industry. Online learning may seem strange and foreign but there are so many options and incredible session opportunities and if you embrace them, there is no telling where they will lead you. Make the most of your time now and see how this will serve and propel you forward. Invest options and opportunities to learn something new, improve your credibility and professionalism to “stay in the game”. I can guarantee that credibility builds confidence, and this will support you and help you reinvent yourself post COVID.
For instance, the canfitpro 2020 Virtual Series is the reinvention and response of canfitpro to the need to maintain and provide education. This is an ideal option for both fit pros and general fitness enthusiasts to expand their knowledge. Learn more about the canfitpro 2020 Virtual Series and register here.
There is no doubt that the road to recovering and reinventing ourselves will require effort. But, if there’s one quote that I like to say it is this: “the difference between try and triumph is the “umph”! There will be challenges, there will be struggles that will require persistent effort, but there will always be opportunities and if we reach out and inspire one another to keep MO’ving through these challenging times, there is no telling what new levels of greatness and personal growth and development we will attain. How will you rise and reinvent yourself?
