- Good morning, Good Life.
Welcome back to Amy TV
where we come together to help you
go after the life you want.
Well, we've heard it on repeat for all us almost a year now.
We are living in uncertain times,
but what does that actually mean?
Is that an indication of what we should do next?
Is it an indication of what is good or bad for our future?
Definitely not.
Really just a phrase
we're all using to tell a story
about how things are not really going our way right now.
No matter how crazy or bleak things
might be for you right now,
your business, your family or any of your circumstances.
Let's talk about what we can do to move forward
so you can productively continue
to go after the life you want.
And we're going to get a little bit of help today
from the sponsor of this episode of Amy TV,
and that's our friends over at NetSuite.
If you're unsure of how to plan for your future
during the unexpected moments,
you need a partner who will help provide the agility needed
to build and run a successful business.
NetSuite provides, you guessed it,
a suite to run your business.
They help you keep things simple
by providing you with one place
to run all of your critical business procedures.
Many growing businesses today run multiple systems
and applications for financials,
HR, inventory and well, everything else.
Imagine if you could run it all in one place.
Don't you think that that would cut
down on the stress of it all?
And of course it would cut down on the costs
of having multiple platforms from multiple vendors
and also give you that one look that you want to see
about the state and the health of your business.
NetSuite is 100% in the cloud
and was actually the first cloud company.
This is so important for scalability
but also for your business' flexibility.
Right now the majority of people who can
are working from home.
So having that cloud access
is critical to the work from anywhere mission.
With a suite of applications
which includes ERP, financials, commerce
inventory management, HR, supply chain,
CRM and more,
NetSuite enables businesses of all sizes
and across all industries to work more effectively
by automating and providing real-time insights
into operational and financial performance.
Discover more details can help you prepare for the future,
certainly during a time of uncertainty,
but also when things are going pretty well
by checking out the link in the description below.
And thanks again to NetSuite
for sponsoring this episode of Amy TV.
My very first piece of advice, when it comes planning
for a time of uncertainty is to switch your approach
from one of expectations to one of intentions.
Expectations are a sneaky little thing that sound good.
Like you're a leader,
allowing everyone to know what the expectations are of all,
but in reality there are a great way
to set you up for disappointment.
Typically, if your expectations are not being met
then you are trying to control the uncontrollable.
And that is not where we should be focusing your energy.
It should be all about the actions that are possible by you.
So constantly having to remind yourself
and maybe the people around you
that your expectations are not being met
is a great way to dwell on things
that are not going to make the difference at all.
Here is the reality of the situation.
We are always
in
uncertain times.
I know that's kind of weird, right?
But that's because we are always in a state of change.
Heraclitus said,
"No man steps in the same river twice."
Why?
Because the river changes,
also because you're changing.
You've probably noticed this before
when you tried to do like a diet that worked for you once
and it didn't go as well this time,
or if you've done anything before
that you thought was going to go well
but it didn't or vice versa.
It's because we were always in a state of change.
So when you shift expectations to intentions
then there is more action behind it.
And you're not hanging your hat
on things that are no longer the case for you.
Remembering that we are always in uncertain times
is the best way for you to shift that perspective.
And then the next thing you can do
is question being comfortable.
Now, I don't want you to be constantly living on the edge
and worrying about what comes next.
That's the worst thing that you can do to prepare yourself
for an uncertain future.
But to be comfortable when things
are going really well
is another example of your expectations
just hanging out, being all present in your life and stuff.
And when we're trying to shift away from expectations
and more toward intentions
we need to recognize comfortable for what it is.
And it is that we want to resist change.
But as you and I already know,
change is inevitable.
Think about a time when you were comfortable.
What was that moment to us?
What did it mean to us?
And if things are either better or worse right now,
then why is that the case?
If it is bad now in comparison,
how was it that we got comfortable in that former moment?
Listen, we should always be grateful for a moment
that's going really well.
When we observe it and we see it and we appreciate it,
that's amazing,
but we can't let the fire go out of us at that time.
That is the surest way
to get too comfortable,
to think it will always be the same.
And we know it won't.
Why?
Because it's always changing.
Are you getting the point of the story here?
Now that we're open to every day,
the change, the unexpected, the uncertain,
we are willing to lean into that and to work with it,
we've got to lose the labels.
Are things good right now?
Are things bad right now?
Are they dismal right now?
Are they the worst of all times right now?
The more that you give something a label,
the more you lean on that label as an excuse
as to not doing anything about what's happening.
Something is only good or bad because you say it so.
And you have control over you.
So why not let this be a moment
where you can change your perspective?
Again, we're switching from expectations to intentions
and instead of letting expectations get the best of us,
we're going to intend to make the most of this situation.
It doesn't even have to be good.
It just needs to be different
if we don't like it,
and hopefully we'll get to good.
But again, we lose the labels
so we can open up the possibilities.
There are times that are very obviously bad.
People dying,
people losing work,
people not being able to take care
of their basic necessities.
These are all bad things.
I don't think we would argue otherwise.
But if we spend too much time stewing
on what is so bad about it,
we can't actually seek out the good steps to take
in the right direction.
If you want to prepare during a time of uncertainty,
stop trying to find so much certainty in your feelings
and seek out certainty in your actions.
This is a big one for a lot of people who feel maybe
that they can't necessarily change their circumstances
because of those around them.
And that is why I want to advise you
to avoid herd mentality
when you are working toward a better moment
during uncertain times.
If you find yourself surrounded by people
who are encouraging ways to feel
and ways to think that are self-sabotaging,
you've got to do something to change it.
While others are wallowing,
why don't you go out and seek the tools
that are going to help you move forward,
to get you out of this negativity in your mindset.
Even if the people around you
are definitely to blame for it,
it's still on you to allow it inside your mind.
I love what Seneca says about worry.
"A man who suffers before necessary,
"suffers more than necessary."
We don't need to judge others.
We don't need to outfit philosophy other people.
We don't even need to try to change them.
In the moment when someone worries,
whether it's about you or it's about them
or all things,
they're not doing anything
that is going to move them forward.
And I am speaking of you as well.
If you worry because of what other people are saying
about the circumstances to you,
you're not doing yourself any favors.
You must avoid herd mentality
specifically when it comes to worrying and complaining
and just trying to justify the state of things.
And finally when preparing during uncertain times,
I want you to just stop
and write what you know for sure.
When we write, it is powerful.
It takes what's in our mind and puts it down on paper.
We can take the hypothetical
and put it in real life.
All I want you to do is just pull out pen and paper.
If you would rather type, that's fine.
Maybe you'll feel the impact differently.
Maybe you know that about yourself.
I know you're very self-aware.
Choose accordingly.
If you're losing track of all of the craziness right now
think about what you're worrying about,
what you want to do,
what your plans were that changed.
Just write down what you know for sure is happening,
what you can do about it,
and what you will do about it.
There's a huge difference
between what you think is happening
or the hyperbole of the world and what actually is.
So when you write it down,
anything you want to make real
even if you don't even know if it's all the way real,
just make it real, put it down on paper,
get it out of your mind and into real life
so you know what you have to work with.
It's interesting, our minds are constantly looking
for us to just punctuate
on whatever we're thinking.
So sometimes if we take a task
out of our head and put it down, we feel better.
The same is true of all the stuff
that you are stewing on right now.
Get it on paper
because you'll at least allow your brain
to punctuate the worries and the concern
and move on to the productive.
When you know what is, and you can look right at it,
you have a great place to start.
Question of the day.
What are you going to do today to start helping yourself
prepare during these times?
Whether they are certain or uncertain
when you are watching them,
really depends on the story we're telling ourselves, right?
Leave that in the comments down below.
And thanks again to our friends over at NetSuite
for sponsoring this episode of Amy TV,
whether you're having a good time
or a challenging time in your business,
they will be there for you.
Check out the link in the description below.
That's all for today.
Thank you so much for tuning in.
I appreciate it as always.
Remember, subscribe for good vibes,
kiss the ones you love,
and go after the life you want.
Cheers.
Got some lint in my throat
right when I finished that sentence.
There was a man painting outside,
with a very loud wobble on his ladder.
(cheerful music)