Creating order and calm within chaos

Hey everyone, it's Nicole Hollar here. I just came from a workout and I just wanted to take this moment to just address, like, I get it. You know, everybody's got a lot of chaos going outside and inside, and even if you're doing okay, you're trying to navigate all of this stuff going on around you, whether it's people or things, situations. And just remember, we need to focus on the things we can control. You know, when I was a little kid, my grandparents had the Serenity Prayer written on their kitchen wall, and I used to skip around the house in circles and make them crazy, and I would sing this song, right? And it was, accept the things that you cannot change, courage the things to change you can, and the wisdom to know the difference. And I just want to remind everybody of that right now, because with all of the things going outside, just remember there's a certain number of things That you just can't control. And everybody has had huge changes going on. You might have lost your job, and that sucks. Or maybe you're working from home and you go, hey, I get to work from home. But not everybody's so great with that. Some people like the flexibility, but without that order and structure of a job situation, they're not so great at it. I mean, that's one of the things I'm going to be focusing on with clients this week. And what about kids? People with children, whether they're little or they're teenagers or some spectrum in between, they're all home now too. And now you're supposed to become a homeschool teacher and try to give them focus and guidance. Or maybe you have a college kid and their school's like, well, you need to get them out of here in 13 hours to up to a week. And you're navigating that. Now some of you, you know, you can go drive and get the kid, and others, you're trying to figure out how to get them home without taking 3 buses and an airline. And that's stressful. So let's acknowledge that there's huge emotional changes going on right now and that it's okay. If you need to cry to get that stuff out, get it out so that you can be more clear-headed to be able to realize how capable and adaptable you are. For those of you who really know me, you know that I believe that we all have extraordinary abilities inside, but we forget how capable and resourceful we are because, because everything is at our fingertips all the time here. So the fact that we don't have as many resources available all the time makes us have to work and think a little harder. And frankly, that's not a bad thing. It really asks us to rise up. So what I'm asking you to do is try to center and calm yourself on the inside. Create a strategy and a pattern that if you need to go to the grocery store for a few things and they don't have the thing you want, Is there a related item you can buy? Or maybe acknowledge that you might have to go to a couple stores or a couple days in a row and know that it's okay. It's just part of it. The loss of control everybody is feeling is normal. The question is, is how are you able to roll with it? And that is where we'll find true growth, is when you realize you can roll with it. And man, You can get through so much of it. I had a client earlier who was like, you know, maybe I'm gonna have to talk to my neighbors. Well, this social distance thing and working from home doesn't necessarily have to be a bad thing. I mean, get outside. I'm encouraging everybody, and I'm going to be working a lot with my clients in the coming week about it, and that's going to be setting order and structure for their day. For people who are working from home, some are awesome with it, Some aren't. Some have kids that they're navigating, some don't. And how am I going to be able to help them create order and structure in their day so they feel good and productive and they can see that side of the coin that says, look, look at all that we've accomplished. And that's pretty awesome. Because let me tell you too, your kids are going to step up when they can. And remember, here's your chance to spring clean. Get that garage cleaned out that you've been waiting for. Read the book that you haven't had time to read. Know that here's your time that you can learn to meditate, and wouldn't that be an awesome thing to calm your nervous system so that you can make sure that the stress and anxiety isn't just killing the immune system? And like I said, I'm gonna say it again, get outside. Not only is the fresh air good for you, by the way, UV rays after a few hours kill bacteria and viruses. It's beautiful most places that we're at, and you may actually meet somebody, which is pretty awesome. And it's going to remind you that we are in it together and that we aren't alone. For kids, Audible has free books for kids 0 to 18, I believe, which I think is pretty awesome. And there's a lot of companies and organizations that have stepped up to offer online learning programs and things to do, virtual tours of museums and parks. And that's pretty cool. So I just want to remind you guys, look, we're in it together. You know, if you're at the grocery store and you know you've got more than you need, maybe you want to consider putting it back. Or know that you do have neighbors and that we can reach out and support each other. And to teach ourselves like, look, I get it, it's different, but different can be okay. And you are going to be okay. And I encourage you to Again, work with the people around you, help to create some order and structure, and support each other. For those of you who, you know, look— are needing to have a little bit more organizational priority, I'm going to include a link at the bottom of this message for my productivity planner, which might help give you a little structure in your day. And if you use it, awesome. If you don't, that's cool. There's lots of apps available to you too. As always, you can always reach out if you have any questions or you want to talk something through. Have an awesome day!