Thrive in Chaos
“What is going on in the world”
“I can’t deal with this any longer”
“I’m going crazy”
“It’s scary, I’m fearful for my kids”
Chaos. It is the world’s natural state, and very few are comfortable in it. We spend billions and billions of dollars to bring order to chaos. That is the purpose of most aspects of a society, isn’t it? Schools, infrastructure, government institutions, laws; they are all in place so that we have, "a place".
Safety, predictability, and a shared outcome that, though laced with varied paths and stitched with innumerable choices, if navigated well, assures nearly everyone a long life and happiness; that is the reason ordinary people avoid chaos. They work hard and pay big chunks of money to find the order that they seek.
They end up building themselves a pretty damn good life.
An airconditioned roof over their heads the size of which is palatial by world standards. A food system so robust that 50% of the produce is thrown out simply because, “it doesn’t look nice”. Cars that park themselves. A phone that keeps them connected to everyone and everything 24 hours a day.
And then the shit hits the fan. As it always does. As it will again. As it will continue to do as long as mankind draws breath.
We do a pretty good job of mitigating it while we fool ourselves, but the ebb and flow is unstoppable, and we are only able to keep the bag closed for so long before that cat gets out. Chaos is always going to run its course
And here is where we have a choice. We can THRIVE in chaos, or we can let it run our lives. Me, I thrive in the chaos. I love it. The more the merrier. I embrace it and accomplish some of my best work while immersed in it.
You can to. Here is how.
1. Get out of your own suffering. I call it cocooning and I want you to stop doing it now. When going through rough times, people tend to focus internally on their own misery while simultaneously looking externally for the solution to their problems. They complain almost religiously about how badly they are dealing with things, how uniquely fucked they are, and they spend precious time cursing the supposed cause of the injustice they are forced to endure.
They have it backwards.
They need to focus externally on the suffering of others and start looking internally for the solution. The more time you spend helping those in need, the more quickly your suffering diminishes. Life in the service of others tends to be a much more joyful one and opportunity for happiness abounds.
If you are having a tough time dealing with life under quarantine, check in on your friends, neighbors, or co-workers that are suffering. It will be a game changer for you and them.
2. Maintain a positive attitude and an appropriate perspective. Tough times cause peoples’ attitudes to sour. Some feel badly for themselves, some lose faith in humanity, some start to believe they are helpless. That is a bunch of crap.
No one dictates how you live your life. Only you chose the terms by which you abide. The most important aspects of your success in life is your attitude and perspective; both of which YOU alone control.
Each morning decide what kind of day it is going to be. Do this by first focusing on all the positive and amazing aspects of your life. Next, think of the endless possibilities that lay ahead of you and pick a goal for the day. Take a little time to give yourself some perspective, too. Thank God for the roof over your head, your full belly, and absence of gunfire in your direction. And then think of all the people that can’t.
3. Stop seeking comfort. Folks tend to shy away from challenges during times of chaos and instead they look for a, “shelter in the storm”. I say bullshit; leave the port of refuge to the meek and the timid. Learn to say, “YES”. Think of how much more opportunity you would have in this life if you would start saying yes to being uncomfortable instead of returning to the safety of your comfort zone.
Take on a challenge during these times. You are in a psychologically and physiologically aroused state. This is when emotional imprinting occurs. The decisions we make (saying yes), and the outcomes tied to them (success), leave indelible impressions in our thought process. Let, "yes!" and, “I can!” become your default setting.
4. Stop saying, “I can’t believe how shitty things are”. If I had a nickel for every time I heard someone blame the other guy, complain about the state of things, or talk about how different things would be if they were in charge, every time chaos reigns, I’d be a rich man.
This world we live in right now is happening on our watch. Not the previous generation’s watch, not the next generation’s watch, but ours. We did this. We are allowing this. And we can fix it.
If you are tired of the way people are treating others, then treat others better. If you are tired of your rights being infringed and your freedom diminished, then be the one to set the example. Action. Action is always the answer when chaos runs rampant. It is what Americans have always done. It is what we (the Unleashed) train ourselves to do.
This will pass. It always does. The world will return to where it once was. The only question is where will you stand in the end. Are you going to be the same person you were when all hell broke loose? Or will you choose to THRIVE in the chaos and become the person you are destined to be.
Semper Fi,
Coach Robby
