Build Muscle Around Choice During Challenging Times

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Build Muscle Around Choice During Challenging Times

By Janice Cardinale | Apr 6, 2020

We are all struggling, we all have priorities and we are all trying to stay calm while weathering one of the most profound times in our lives and careers. Let’s look at this and determine what the best offense will be for the majority of professionals suffering in hospitality, corporate events, destination management, venues, AV and too many other specialties to mention here.

Recently, I came across this passage in The Positive Dog by John Gordon: “We all have two dogs inside of us. One dog is positive, happy, optimistic and hopeful. The other dog is negative, mad, sad, pessimistic and fearful. These two dogs often fight inside us, but guess who wins the fight? The one you feed the most.”

When I attended Next Level trainings in Columbus, Ohio, last year, the training I received gave me the tools I needed to feed my own positivity, emotional intelligence and muscle. I learned that with patience and persistence I was OK to make small daily choices rather than take on one big choice. This gave me the mental strength to stay focused and continue to make the right choices for both myself and my team.

Staying positive depends on our environment, the people we surround ourselves with and accepting the changes that we can no longer control. The way we go about our daily routines has taken a 180-degree turn. How we come out of this is anyone’s guess, but there has never been a better time to practice feeding our positive souls with hope, determination and love.

According to Dr. Brene Brown, “Love is the last thing we need to ration now. Hurt is hurt, and every time we honor our own struggle and the struggles of others by responding with empathy, the healing that results affects all of us. Don’t beat yourself up, lean in and build muscle around your choices so that your leadership helps others thrive in the future.”

The choices that our association is making now are thoughtful, and I am grateful to be an MPI member as we journey into unchartered territories.

Stay Calm & Sanitize On

Photo by John Arano on Unsplash

 

Author

Janice Cardinale

Janice Cardinale, founder of Event Minds Matter, was named among the “50 Most Influential People in the Events Industry in the U.S. and Canada” by the Eventex People's Choice Awards. She is also in the Smart Meetings Hall of Fame, among the BizBash “15 over 50,” a Reiimagine “Powerful Woman in Business” and board chair of the event management and creative design program at Seneca College. Her mission is to build brave spaces to amplify the industry’s conversation on mental health and wellness.