Facts vs Drama

One of the things about the coronavirus situation is that everyone in the world is going through the exact same experience. The other day my virtual assistant in Pakistan was giving me pointers for avoiding the need for a ventilator in the event one contracts the virus.

Although we’re all going through the same circumstance, we all have different thoughts and feelings about it.

What if I get it?

What will happen if I lose my job?

What a nice opportunity to get closer to my family.

Thank goodness I can finally catch up on some much needed rest and downtime.

Everyone is having a different experience of the same circumstance.

According to statistics, on average 150,000 people die every single day around the world. Every. Single. Day. This was BEFORE the Corona virus pandemic.

Until now we did not concern ourselves with the daily death count. We weren’t refreshing the ticker tape of deaths in our city.

Truth is, death is ALWAYS a possibility. But we can’t live our lives consumed by that thought.

The way we are able to keep going is to choose to believe that there’s a pretty good chance we’ll live to see another day. That belief serves us. Believing that we’ll be here tomorrow is what helps us to continue to grow, evolve and learn.

What we choose to focus on determines our experience of life.

No matter what happens in the world — we can always choose how to respond, what to focus on, what to think, and what to do.

So ask yourself: Where is my attention? How am I CHOOSING to think about this situation? Is what I’m focusing on serving me?

Because there’s the facts. And there’s the drama. There’s what’s happening “out there” in the world, and what’s happening inside your mind. There’s a BIG difference.

The drama is optional. Without the stories in your mind there’s no fear. There’s no worry. There’s a pure, neutral circumstance. When you can let go of the thoughts, you can BE with what is. From that place of pure being-ness, you can decide.

How do I want to feel? What do I want to think about this situation? What will serve me most in this circumstance?

Be the gatekeeper of your mind. Don’t let any old thought run the show.

To finish with one of my favorite quotes by Holocaust survivor Victor Frankl:

“The last of human freedoms — the ability to choose one’s attitude in a given set of circumstances.” ― Man’s Search For Meaning

How are YOU choosing to think about this circumstance? Is it serving you?