Staying the Course When the World Feels Like A Dumpster Fire KDS: 117

Staying the Course in your business can be challenging on any given day, let alone when the world feels like a dumpster fire. I won’t go sideways with this episode about all of the challenges people are facing in the world right now. We’re all aware that things are not what they used to be, and there’s a lot of uncertainty. This is why it’s vital that we tune out the noise and find ways to ground ourselves. I stopped watching the news about 15 years ago (when it felt like actual news, not entertainment or propaganda). Even back then, though, it felt like the focus was on the negative. I remember years ago, I would go straight to the gym after taking the kids to school, and if I were on the treadmill or elliptical, I’d pop on Good Morning America. Harmless enough, right? Most of that was lifestyle and entertainment, but there were news segments or teasers about the news, and even if I weren’t aware of it, some of that would still sink in. Once I got my first iPad and realized I could actually read while working out, I stopped watching the news. Fast forward to today, and the only bits of news I get are from social media (not intentionally, but maybe TikTok because they show you content based on what you watch). I don’t go too far down that rabbit hole because before I know it, I start feeling either angry or depressed. There was a time when I took a very neutral stance on what was happening politically because of this. All it did was make me miserable (and again, I promise this isn’t a political post; this is all for context). My intention was, and still is, to be the best human being I can be, to be kind, do good work, and love with my whole heart. All while creating a life that fills my soul to the very depth of my being. With all of the upheaval over the last few years, something in me has woken up. And you can’t “unring a bell,” so to speak. My sense of responsibility to the world I live in feels deeper. I’m sure this is a combination of my age, my children are grown and on their own (so I have more bandwidth), and some of the loss I’ve experienced. You hit a point in life where you realize, “If not now, when?” We’re living through some amazing and challenging times right now. The first and most important place to start is with ourselves. So, I’ve been contemplating this question a lot.Get the SPARK in Your Inbox every week!“How do I stay the course when everything around me feels like a dumpster fire?”Now, to be honest, I’m not actually using the phrase “when everything around me feels like a dumpster fire” when I’m thinking about the question of how to stay the course. That was strictly for the sake of the title of this episode. Words have power, and I try to choose them carefully. The question of staying the course, though, is 100% accurate. I’m asking from a place of curiosity and a true desire to keep myself in alignment. To answer this question, let’s approach it from two angles: the internal and external side of things.The Internal Side of Staying the Course.In some ways, the internal side of this is easier because it’s something we actually control. In other ways, it’s harder because it takes conscious decisions, effort, and massive boundaries to anchor in behaviors and beliefs that support staying the course. And any time we <a...