The world is changing rapidly before our eyes. Nobody will argue that. 

What we once cared about as recent as one month ago, is somehow no longer relevant. 

That raise you working so hard to earn? And now, you lost your job. 

That car you were saving for? And now, you can’t even leave the house to drive it. 

That pair of shoes you wanted to wear? Well, now the economy is crashing and you’re more concerned about saving your pennies for food and water over a meaningless pair of shoes.

All of these egotistical desires — all of these things, these mundane things that we might have cared so much about before …. Well. They just don’t seem to matter anymore. 

The economy is crashing. People are dying. And all of your goals and dreams from just one month prior… Well, you’re now being asked to reevaluate all of it. 

In all actuality, the most magnificent, and amazing thing is happening on Earth right now.

Every single one of us is being asked to re-evaluate what really matters — and it seems for most of us — we have a common goal. 

We care about our loved ones. We care about our health. And we care about feeling connected, more than anything. 

Yes, what’s happening in the world is not easy, or fun. BUT, it’s truly beautiful what’s happening in many other ways, because we are all facing a similar challenge on a global level — and that’s bringing us together in ways that has never happened before. 

But in part of this great evolution that is happening globally right now, we are being asked to face challenges we’ve never even considered. 

I know for me personally, staying at home in an unhappy household has been one of my greatest challenges. Which has offered me a unique opportunity to meet and transcend obstacles — learning new skills in a new way. 

If you’re in a difficult situation right now (and we all are in one way I’m sure), here are 5 mind set shifts I’ve cultivated that have helped me so far: 

• Recognize that with every challenge, is a great opportunity

First and foremost, recognize that every single challenge you’re being faced with is a great opportunity to grow and reach depths within you you’ve never yet met. 

Remember: 

“It’s not happening to you, it’s happening for you.”

What if every single thing occurring in our lives right now, were perfectly designed for our growth and evolution? Even if you don’t believe in this, I promise you that you will find more peace if you allow yourself to reprogram your mindset into thinking so. 

Everytime we feel ourselves entering a ‘victim’ state of consciousness — aka, “why me?” “This sucks!” etc. etc. If we can immediately reprogram ourselves from “Why me?” — to “This is an opportunity for me to grow”, we will instantly notice a shift in our state of consciousness — from victimization, to empowerment. 

Take this mantra with you throughout the day, and every time you fall into the why me mindset, see if you can quickly catch yourself, and shift the thought to —  this is happening for me. 

• Forget about the next thing

Especially in western cultures, where our mindset is always about the next thing —

The next raise. The next job. The bigger house. The better car. More, more, more. 

In the USA especially, we find this incessant desire for more. And it’s killing our planet. With the crash of the economy and the dramatic decrease of all consumerism (except toilet paper, haha), we are realizing how silly, selfish, and even unintelligent these egotistical desires are. 

Not only are we cultivating more waste and thereafter, destroying our planet with these egotistical “needs”, but we’re feeding the incessant addiction within our minds that we aren’t good enough now, and that we can only access happiness in the future. 

This pause is forcing us to stop. To slow down. To find gratitude with what’s in front of us right now. To remember that things don’t matter, and it’s the connection, and community around us that matter more than anything. 

I’m hoping that once everything settles down, and people go back to their ‘normal’ lives, we can all remember to slow down a bit. To need less. To forget about the next best thing, and remember how sacred this very breath is. To remember that life is limited, and to enjoy it now. 

Repeat this mantra to remind yourself: “In this moment, I have enough. I am enough.”

• Do Nothing

Again, with the mindset of always needing to be doing more, and achieving more, take this time in isolation to simply… Do. Nothing. 

Rather than using this time to ‘get ahead’, as I’ve seen lots of people boasting about, what if you did exactly what Mother Earth was asking of you right now… To be still? 

I’m living in Bali and yesterday we just celebrated a National holiday here called “Nyepi”. Nyepi is recognized as ‘a day of silence’, where they disconnect all electricity (so no lights), no wifi, no cell service, and nobody is allowed to leave their homes. I’ve heard that in some regencies in Bali they even have police on the roads to make sure everyone stays inside! 

While I’ve met many expats and tourists who complain about this day of stillness, I see it as a beautiful opportunity to step away from ‘doing’. 

And in a way, the entire world is celebrating Nyepi in one way or another, since people are instructed to stay inside. However, rather than working, worrying, or worse — sitting all day on our phones connecting to social media and the news — what if we could take more time to access stillness. To meditate. To play music. To simply… do nothing. 

Give it a try. See if you can designate a couple hours out of your day to literally… do nothing. Just sit, and stare. Sounds funny, but our grandparents used to do it all the time, and maybe it’s the very thing that our planet needs right now. 

• Practice now. It’s only relevant now.

My guru in India used to always say this — “your practice is only relevant NOW, because NOW is the only moment we have. Practice now!”

And what I mean by this — whatever your practice is, whether it be meditation, or running, or yoga, or breathing, or cooking — whatever it is for you that helps you to quickly shift your state of consciousness. Do it now. Do it when you feel triggered. Do it when you feel anxious, or panicked, or in a state of fear. 

The other night I woke up at 2:30 AM with a lot of anxiety in my chest (which almost never happens). I started tossing and turning, and dwelling in the anxious feeling. Then I heard my guru’s voice in my head saying ‘practice now!’. 

So, I got out of bed, went and sat down at my meditation cushion, and started practicing breathwork and kriya. After about 10 minutes, my entire state of consciousness had shifted from anxiety, to peace. 

What a beautiful reminder that we always have the ability to shift our state. 

So, when you find yourself triggered, or upset, or fearful, take this thought with you… 

“Practice now.” 

You have the ability to cultivate change, right now. 

• You’re not in a waiting room

Finally, I’ll leave you with this insight. 

You’re not in a waiting room. 

The ‘waiting room’ is nothing more than a state of consciousness. An impatient state of consciousness, that is. 

The state of mind that is similar to ‘the next thing’ state of mind. And it happens in life whether we’re locked in quarantine or not! 

Many people are always stuck in this ‘waiting room’. Waiting to find the relationship so they can feel ‘whole’, waiting to move to a new city so they can ‘escape’ their current situation, waiting for their boss to give them a raise so they can feel ‘wealthy’. There’s seemingly always something people are waiting for to reach a ‘better’ state of mind. 

But. What if we could erase this ‘waiting room’ mindset. In fact, us quite literally being stuck inside our rooms right now could be the very opportunity for us to learn how to shift out of this ‘waiting’ state of consciousness. 

So. Next time you feel ‘stuck’ or like you’re ‘waiting’. What if you could change that mindset to being so present, and purposeful in the very moment you’re in? 

Get out of the waiting room. Life is happening right NOW. Embrace every moment, especially since we don’t know how long we’ve got.