We know it's not a Monday, which is our usual blogging day, but Gemma came across a great opportunity to share a blog, not written by us, but by a brilliant friend and colleague, Tracy Heatley.
Tracy, owner and Director of 'Better Networking,' is the queen of networking, allowing businesses to grow through great communication, trust and relationships by means of her training programmes. As well as this, Tracy is the co-ordinator for Business Over Breakfast North West (BoB Clubs), which we are both members of. This is a super relaxed way to meet like minded business owners and employees, support each other in growing their businesses, with a spot of scrambled egg, bacon and beans to boot!
As you can imagine, with everything going on, life has changed for Tracy considerably since COVID-19 broke loose in the UK and with this in mind, Tracy wrote a really insightful blog about the effect it's had on her, that we really want to share with you.
So, thanks to the green light from Tracy, here it is!
"I’ve always been fascinated by positive psychology. Have you ever wondered how two people, given the same set of circumstances, can have such different outcomes? It’s because whilst we cannot always control what happens to us, we can choose how we react. This choice is what differentiates one person from another. Do you want to be a positive individual who excels no matter what, or do you want to give up? There’s no right or wrong, but there’s always a choice.
This time two weeks ago, when the Covid-19 crisis impacted my business and forced me to stop running my BoB Clubs networking meetings and postpone my Better Networking training workshops, I was distraught. I don’t mind admitting that having to lay staff off and postponing everything that I’ve worked so hard to build, brought me to tears. Tears and feeling down are okay – my years of personal development have taught me that. What’s not okay is staying in that dark place. I don’t know about you, but I’ve lost count of the amount of times that I’ve had to pick myself up, dust myself off and crack on. My point is, we will get through this unprecedented time! I truly believe that if we choose love, hope and positivity, combined with helping others as much as we can then our lives, businesses, mental health and sense of purpose will be so strong that we will pretty much be able to do anything! Don’t get me wrong, I know the next few months and possibly years are going to be tough for most businesses, mine included, but if we make good choices and focus our energy on the right things now, the possibilities are endless.
Here’s my thirteen magical miracles that keep me sane during this ‘Coronavirus Lockdown’!
Get up, get dressed, make-up on – scheduling online networking and meetings motivate well.
Smile – it’s one of the loveliest things that you can do for yourself and others.
Drink plenty of water – your body, mind and skin will thank you for it.
Eat what the body needs not what it craves – a healthy diet equals a healthy mind.
Exercise daily by walking, cycling or working out – I’d lose the plot if I didn’t exercise.
Sit up straight and stand tall – physiology determines our mood.
Write a morning grateful list – it’s the little things in life that count.
Online networking – interacting with other people is crucial.
Have one-to-one online meetings – it’s amazing how we can still help each other.
Speak to at least two people a day – listening to others means more than you will ever know.
Read – now is the perfect time to learn new things.
Do something enjoyable – I’ve found my forgotten love for writing poems.
Relax – We’re human beings, not human doings, so make time for you.
Imagine if this time at home was given to us to help us reset. What will you do differently? What former hobbies will you embrace again? What new exercise would you love to do? What changes will you make to your business? What good can come from this? How can you help other people? How will you change the way you talk to yourself and others? What are you grateful for? What’s important? Who is important? What must happen to make you love yourself even more than you do right now? What is it that you really, really want? Who do you need in your life? Who can help you? Who can you help? Who do you need to spend more time with? What changes will you make? What will your future hold? What choices will you make?
If you knew for certain that the possibilities are endless and that you will absolutely 100% achieve your goals, what would you choose to do right now?
The possibilities are endless! You just need to make a simple choice everyday about what you focus on and what you do!
Where your focus goes, your motivation grows and your energy flows!
Remember, if you look after your mindset, your mindset will look after you! 😊
Written by Tracy Heatley (April 2020) "
If you've enjoyed Tracy's blog, she has lots of other lovely reads on her website, along with radio recordings to listen to, where she talks openly and honestly with other business owners, as part of her local radio show for Rossendale Radio, 'Mind Your Own Business.'
If love a good read, why don't you check out our other blogs about mindsets.
Or if you would like to know more about Grow Your Mindset click here.