The wait and see period while working on our goals can be filled with much apprehension and anxiety. Here are 7 keys to being at peace with all outcomes from your approaches towards your goals. Maintaining a state of peace no matter the outcome is key to building resilience.
We often become anxious when we are working on approaches to use to achieve our goals or while we await the outcomes thereof. Worrying is part of human nature. As we weigh the potential benefits and losses, we worry about the latter such that it begins to look as if the former is nowhere in the game.
If we are to be honest, not so much under the sun comes easy or is predictable. Most of what we need to do to achieve our dreams and live our purpose requires so much from us to a point that we feel drained and are sometimes tempted to give up. The most difficult part of everything is that we come up with strategies and put as much effort as we can to make our dreams come true but we are not guaranteed if we will get the desired outcomes. Now the question is, what do we do when the unexpected or the worst-case scenario happens? How can we be at peace while we wait for or have gotten results from our approaches?
Anxiety in this case is a result of choosing to focus on the wrong things. One thing that is certain in all this is that anxiety does not change the possible outcomes of your approach. Instead, it can ruin your mood for the day, ruin your relationships, slow you down, and affect the functionality of the brain. All this for something that cannot be changed. Where we worry about negative results from our approaches, we are more likely to give up trying, take time to get back on track or we unnecessarily act out of desperation. Therefore, need to learn to be at peace with all outcomes of our approaches, and here’s what we can try to achieve that.
- Do research – do your research, talk to experts, and take advice from others. Find out how others have achieved dreams similar to yours, the strength and weaknesses, as well as possible ways of improving your approach in a manner that works best for your time and setting. When we have done all we could, we can peacefully wait for or accept whatever outcome. Doing less leaves us with questions and regrets while giving it all we can give inner peace.
- Ask yourself if your approaches are realistic – take a second look at your approach and ask yourself if it really is what you need to get what you are dreaming of. Are your approaches feasible?
- Do your best – invest the much needed time and energy in the implementation of your plans. As you work hard and smart, you are on the driver’s seat and can manipulate your approach and everything else to your own advantage. As you give your approach the attention it deserves, do the necessary monitoring, evaluations, and adjustments, you stay on track and are able to improve your strategies as you go.
- Expect anything – be prepared for anything and accept the possibility of failure. Even the most perfect strategies can fail due to external influences. For example, so many businesses had strategies that worked well for them in the past few years but were hit by the effect of COVID 19 in ways most people did not see coming. Have a plan in place to guide where you go next if you succeed or fail. That way, you avoid the shock and, having back up plans keeps you busy enough to not spend time moaning over failed approaches.
- Be positive – a positive attitude is all you need to have inner peace. However, do not be overconfident. Positive people easily cope with difficult situations as they hold the belief that there is always something good to be uncovered even in the most challenging situations. There are lessons to be learned from everything that happens and the only thing that can keep us from achieving our goals is giving up. When we understand this, we can learn to be more peaceful as we march towards our desired future. To cultivate and maintain a positive attitude, we should surround ourselves with positive people and feed your mind positivity.
- Surround yourself with supportive people – keep people who understand and support your dreams closer. These are the people who can picky ou up when fall and encourage you to keep moving. Avoid the ‘I told you it was a bad idea’ and the ‘I knew you were wasting your time’ type. These will make you feel stupid and as if there is no way forward even when the issue at hand is easy to solve.
- Forgive yourself for mistakes – it is possible to mess up a perfectly laid plan by making silly mistakes. Forgive yourself and focus on what can be changed. Beating yourself up about things that cannot be changed does not solve anything while looking for and working on a solution takes you steps closer to achieving your dreams.
