How To Thrive In An Era Of Uncertainty
right now
many people are being confronted with
their deepest fears in a way they never
have been before
death isolation separation homelessness
financial ruin loss of loved ones loss
of freedom all the big ones right here
unavoidable and refusing to go away
what’s your biggest fear
for me
it’s not death or the death of loved
ones
i’ve already made peace with that
on the 31st of may 2013 i stood at the
bus stop in the little village we were
living in at the time
i was standing with dave and his
two-year-old daughter abby rose
watching that little blue bus trundle
away towards school with our two eldest
sons
we stood there silent
absolutely awed as that bus passed
directly under the most brilliant
vibrant complete rainbow that stretched
across the entire village
it was astonishingly astonishingly
beautiful
and that was the last time we saw dave’s
son marley alive
he died of a brain aneurysm that morning
eight years old and he was gone
the village was devastated
everyone knew mali
at his memorial the crowd gathered
spilling out into the car park children
and adults alike sat on the floor there
were that many
it was heartbreaking and it was
devastating and it was
also one of the most
stunning examples of life and death and
grief done well because after the
memorial
molly’s parents dave and raquel chose to
celebrate his short life
with a two-day festival
they were jumping castles and soccer
pictures and live music and feasting and
wish van wish lanterns and
fireworks
together
we
grieved and wept and played
and danced through the pain
instead of hiding away they called their
people to them
connection was the medicine that we all
needed
and we honored marley through an
unrivaled celebration of his existence
i learned then
that life is uncertain there are no
guarantees there never have been
and there never will be
so when covert hit australia in 2020
it wasn’t death that shook me to my
bones
it was loss of freedom it was when those
borders started to shut that my anxiety
skyrocketed i panicked caught between
running and freezing my heart hammering
in my chest i barely slept for weeks i
exercised excessively to cope the fear
ran through my entire body it wasn’t
just confined to my mind everything was
in chaos within and around me and i was
desperately looking for an escape that i
couldn’t find
this is not to downplay anyone else’s
experience this is just mine
but see fear is like that
we each have our own deepest fears that
send us into fight flight or freeze
they’re not wrong they’re not right they
just are but when they hit they hit hard
and we lose the ability to think clearly
let alone creatively
and yet it’s creative thinking that is
the key
to navigating uncertainty and ultimately
this is what i did i moved from chaos
and fear to creativity and possibility
and as a result my whole world opened up
i now have more time or abundance more
opportunities deeper connections than i
did at the beginning of 2020.
ultimately for me and for a lot of
people i know covet has created
opportunities that we never knew existed
i mean this is a tedx talk and i’ve
wanted to do one of these since they
started
yeah it’s crazy
times it is scary
but as margaret drabble says
when nothing is certain
anything is possible
but how do we move from fear and break
through into possibility where all our
obstacles seem to just lose their power
i have found that i need to access my
inner calm
move through my emotions and face my
fears in order to access the gold mine
of possibility that lies in the midst of
uncertainty and i would love to share
with you
three
that work really well they are simple
they are effective and they are
available to just about anyone without
even needing to leave your bedroom
breathe move connect simple right but
they each come with a twist i am going
to suggest that you breathe less
not more
that you move your way through emotions
and that you connect
in a way that leaves you inspired
so breathe
did you know
that you can control stress panic and
anxiety just with your breath
this is because aside from focusing on
something other than your fear the very
active breathing itself has a direct
impact on your nervous system
a 2018 study titled how breath control
can change your life noted that slow
deep nasal breathing
switches off the fight and flight
response and switches on the rest and
digest response
patrick mcewen
breathing expert author and founder of
the potako clinic international says
this shut your mouth and breathe only
through your nose
and make your breathing light slow and
deep
one client came to me
she was suffering severe panic attacks
taking multiple antipsychotic
medications daily just to deal with life
i taught her one simple technique
after about a week
she came back to me
oh my goodness she said this stuff is
amazing i just stopped a panic attack in
10
minutes those things normally last hours
this woman not only gained control of
her panic attacks but she actually
started changing her life and began
living her passion
thriving
two move
have you ever heard of runner’s high
so this is when people experience not
only less pain and anxiety but they
actually feel euphoria from endurance
exercise
new research from germany suggests that
this is caused by the body’s
endocannabinoid system which is a system
that’s designed to maintain body harmony
but it’s also able to give us feelings
of euphoria and relaxation a bit like
marijuana does but without the marijuana
endurance exercise literally helps you
get high on your own supply
it seems to happen when the mind
quietens down and the body just moves
which is why it’s more common with
endurance athletes because that’s when
there’s enough time for this to happen
so keep that in mind as i tell you about
my favorite form of movement ever
ecstatic dance yes you can dance your
way to ecstasy
with ecstatic or conscious dance there
are no movement there are no steps or
style to follow it’s where your body
just moves the way it wants to in
response to the music
another study from this year 2021
surveyed over a thousand conscious
dancers
they found that
95 of those with depression anxiety and
trauma experienced therapeutic results
alice walker says hard times require
furious dancing
and this is because music has a way of
helping us access
express
and more importantly move through our
emotions and beyond to where we want to
go
you can literally use it to move from
one emotional state to another
i’ve worked with this to redesign my
business my lifestyle upgrade my
relationships
reimagine my kids schooling all sorts of
things
this is a super powerful practice
literally in the space of one hour i can
go from feeling frightened and angry and
anxious to feeling empowered inspired
and free
honestly
this practice can change your life
connect brene brown foremost researcher
on courage shame vulnerability and
empathy says connection
is why we’re here
we are hardwired to connect with others
it’s what gives purpose and meaning to
our lives
and without it there is suffering
matthew lieberman a social
neurobiologist and author
says that social adaptations of the
human brain are what’s central to making
humans the most successful species on
earth
it seems that it’s connection and
collaboration that have meant humans
have not only survived but thrived
the last two years have seen a lot of
people hit the floor
but humans have always been able to
adapt and innovate this is our super
power
innovation seems to happen at that sweet
spot when challenge and inspiration meet
so when our world around us is full of
challenge we need connections that leave
us inspired
i’m part of two groups that are purpose
designed for this
we both meet weekly one in person one
online one is for life generally and one
is for supporting each other in our
own businesses
neither existed before covered i barely
knew half the people beforehand
but they are like food for my mind and
my heart
they have helped me not only survive the
uncertainty but to thrive in
it
yep
coven has been a full system disrupt
but
in amongst the chaos and uncertainty we
have the opportunity to create a whole
new world
imagine
if the world was full of people living
their lives to their fullest potential
what do you
love
breathe to find your center
move your way through your limitations
connect to support and inspire
and open yourself up to the possibility
of living life reimagined on your terms
because you are the one you have been
waiting for