I could not believe what was happening around me. The world was shutting down. I had no idea how restricted we would need to be in order to find safety, feel safe, and be healthy. As I looked around I could see that others had similar concerns. While some heavily feared the loss of their lives, others heavily feared the loss of their freedom. Political angst was high and for the first time ever, I had absolutely no idea what the world would look like in the near future.

I’ve known for a long time that fear and panic make it difficult to navigate challenging times. In spite of what was happening around me, I knew that I needed to find a personal sense of security, peace, and happiness. It seems strange to say, but to survive, or better yet, thrive, I would need to find happiness. Even with all of the bad news, even with the way the people around me felt, I needed to be happy because I knew of the clarity that occurs in that state of mind. 

The first step was a break from the news, social media, and the opinions of others. I needed time in a quiet space to consider what was happening. Having learned that focus is the key to happiness, I had to figure out what I should focus on. “What is it that you want?” I asked myself, “What is your ideal future?” After giving it some thought, I realized that I wanted to feel safe, and wanted to be healthy. I wanted to feel sure that I would not lose my home. I didn’t just want to keep my home, I wanted to keep improving it. I wanted to feel a sense of personal freedom. I wanted to feel abundant. Finally, I wanted to provide value for my society in a way that I enjoyed!

As I thought about the things that I wanted, I could feel my mood begin to change. I was starting to feel hope. I didn’t have any solutions yet, but I could feel that I had just started something. I had just taken a first step. I knew what I wanted, so I knew where I needed to go, and I had just taken a first step in that direction.  

I’ve been an airline pilot for most of my adult life. Given the challenges the world has been facing, I don’t know what my airline future looks like in the near term. I don’t like unknowns, and personally, if there is anything that I can do to have an effect on my future, I’m going to do it.

I began to think about the stories I’ve heard about people who somehow pulled a billion dollar life out of absolutely nothing. I knew it had been done and now I wanted to know how to do it. I began searching for motivation speeches on YouTube. The first one I’d heard was from Tony Robins. It was exactly the right speech at exactly the right time. The gist of it was that, “YES YOU CAN!”

In about 30 minutes I’d gone from afraid and uncertain to hopeful, excited, and uncertain. I knew I needed more. I was feeling energized and decided to go for a walk while listening to more motivational content. I listened to explanations of the law of attraction, Tony Robins, speeches from Oprah, etc. If it was a speech about making your dreams come true, I wanted to hear it.

My attitude was changing quickly and it felt great. From time to time I would get a little sniff of negativity. I’d hear about a rough day in the stock market, I’d hear ambulance sirens, and I’d see that friends were having a tough time of their own. I’d feel down for a few moments but I could not stay in that place. I knew it wouldn’t help anyone. I want to be strong, successful, and able to help the people around me. I had to adjust my focus again. I’d go back to the motivational speeches, look at videos of newborn kittens, basically anything that would put a smile back on my face.

It would always work. I would always find my way back to happiness, which was important because it felt good, and because of the clarity that came with it. That clarity was important, as it allowed me to figure out my next steps. I didn’t just want to survive this latest downturn, I wanted to thrive through it, and I was beginning to figure out how…

—continued next week—

-Mike Humphreys