OK, so I can give absolutely no credit for this post to myself. A very temporary, yet the absolute best, ex-VP of my last job writes these little e-maily/bloggy type things to all of her "girlfriends." I usually find them very inspirational and find myself figuring out how I can pattern my life more like hers as I grow up. I thought the email today was great so I would like to repost it here.
I love the tale of Chicken Little. The story goes that one day there was this Chick walking around in the woods when an acorn popped her on the head. It scared her so bad and she shook so hard, that half her feathers fell out. The Chick (now looking pretty darn scary, I guess) further wigged out and started crying, "Help! Help! The sky is falling. I have to go tell the king!" But on the way she spread the awful story of impending doom by telling her girlfriend Ducky Lucky; and then she carried on to Goosey Loosey; and, of course, Turkey Lurkey had to hear the bad news, too. Chicken Little's fear, based on her limited knowledge and experience, spread negativity and panic through her network like a bad rash.
I have a C.L. in my life, and you probably do, too. Like Chicken Little, my C.L. also chooses to operate in a state of fear. Without fail, at lunch or dinner, the storm clouds gather as she breathlessly broadcasts the demise of our country, the unraveling of our social fabric, and the end of our economy. She casts such a foreboding shadow over the conversation that by the time dessert is served - everyone around the table is ready to slit their wrists. Not because she's an expert in politics or finance or societal issues -but because she's an expert in being a Chicken Little!
Fear is contagious. Once a C.L. starts talking trash, just watch - all the rest of us will fall in line. Steve and I recently spread the contagion to each other. We had become so convinced that our condo building wasn't going to close, we worked ourselves into a tizzy. And like Chicken Little, we stressed. While we didn't lose our feathers, we did lose sleep . . . and peace.
Our C.L. episode came to an end one morning when, independently, we came to the conclusion that our negative thinking was choking out hope. Hope for this great home that we had planned for and saved for and...waited almost two years for. We realized that we had chosen to operate in a state of fear, based on nothing more than rumor and our vivid imaginations.
The uncertain outcome for our condo cottage-in-the-sky had dragged on for months, so you can only imagine our amazement when two days later - the deal and the closing date were confirmed. (We closed this morning.)
Wasted energy. Operating in a state of fantasy-based fear is just useless. Yes, bad things can happen, but our fear (whether real or imagined) won't fix it. It can, however, choke all thoughts of a bright future from our heart and mind. But maybe worse than that, the resulting negativity steals precious conversations and exchanges of hope with others.
So, I've decided to shift my thinking. By operating in a state of confidence, I now consciously hold onto words like "promise," because my life story, while not always rosy, could have been a lot worse. And I wait expectantly on the future - knowing that good things happen every day and good things will continue to happen for our country, our economy, my family, and ...me.
"You are as young as your faith, as old as your doubt; as young as your self-confidence, as old as your fear; as young as your hope, as old as your despair." - Anonymous
Have you fallen into the rathole of Chicken Little thinking? Choose today to operate in a state of confidence for your future and share that state with others by gently deflecting the negative chatter. The sky ain't fallin'.
Source: http://www.ellenmiller.com/2009/05/a-state-of-confidence-vs-the-s.html
As I always tell my friends, you can handle anything that comes your way. Things might suck at the present moment, but in time you will be fine. Everyone has to have a little suck in their life. It's in some rule book somewhere. Promise!
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