How to Adjust Your Life When the World is on Fire
Ever feel like the world is deliberately working against you?
Balance is hard enough juggling work, play, family, and the like.
Then the unexpected hits.
Try as you may to make a solid plan and show up to put in the work, something stops you from out of nowhere.
It’s frustrating.
But it happens.
For millions of us in the Northeast, that’s exactly what happened this past week.
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Recently, I completed my first Half Marathon.
It was a fantastic experience and I couldn’t wait to keep the training going.
I rested for a few days.
I started thinking about the next race.
I planned out my next moves.
I was ready to start training.
That is… until the fires.
World on Fire
Even if you haven’t been directly affected by them, you’ve likely seen the iconic photos of orange haze floating across New York City. Wildfires have been raging across millions of acres of Canadian forests. Then a low pressure system pushed the billowing smoke down into the U.S.
Image: New York City (June 2023)
Credit: NBC News
And Voila!
NYC started looking like a set from Blade Runner: 2049 more than the iconic city we know and love.
Air quality went from good, to bad, to record-breakingly horrible.
When the Air Quality Index says you should be around 50 and you’re well over 100 (and then some), you know things are pretty bad.
Image: Blade Runner 2049
Credit: Columbia Pictures
Here in Buffalo, the air wasn’t as bad as the haze floating over the Big Apple, but the fallout was still there. Confusion about what was happening turned into safety warnings:
“Don’t exercise outside!”
“Use air purifiers!”
“Stay indoors!”
Everything is Cancelled
Whether it was trying to enjoy the heat, going for a run, or simply being outside, all activities were cancelled until further notice.
It felt unreal.
I had the energy to keep moving and get back to my training.
The world had other plans.
In the days since, the air quality has improved in Buffalo and NYC. Friends are posting photos without the apocalyptic orange haze. Life is moving once again outdoors.
Experts say that this type of event is likely to happen again.
And whether it’s this or some other event that pops up into our lives, it’s about being ready to adjust.
Let’s talk about the mindset shifts that can help us do that.
3 Mindset Shifts to Help You Adjust to Bad Situations
Mindset 1 — Sh!t happens. Expect the unexpected.
“Unprecedented” is the word I see most often paired with the Canadian Wildfire story. It may have been difficult to predict the exact scenario, but the unexpected happens all the time.
We can’t and won’t know everything that will happen to us.
But we can accept that the unexpected is part of life. That acceptance will make it easier the next time something
Mindset 2 — You have the next move.
It’s not about what happens to us, it’s about the next move we make. That choice is ours.
In my case, I moved my training indoors. As much as I wanted to run outside, it would clearly have been a bad idea to do so. I did some weight training and ran a bit on the treadmill.
I started writing about the experience and planned out my week after the anticipated effects of the smoke had cleared.
Mindset 3 — Protect yourself, but keep moving forward
The Wildfires and their resulting smoke are dangerous and unfortunate. While there are long-term changes that can be made at a societal level to help mitigate them, the first priority has to be short-term safety. Once that’s been established, ask yourself, “What can I do next?”
It’s not about knowing all the steps. It’s about figuring out the very next step. Then the one after that.
Protect yourself, but keep going.
Final Thoughts
World Events like the Wildfires are one example of how life can step in and seemingly mess up our plans.
When the week started, I had no idea the impact they would have on my day-to-day schedule. The fires happened anyway.
Keeping our lives in balance in the face of these events or the unexpected roadblocks that come our way is challenging. Shifting our mindset to be more adaptable can help.
The world will do what it wants.
But you have the next move.
TL; DR
Sh!t happens
The unexpected can derail our plans
Mindset shifts can help you adapt
Expect the unexpected
You have the next move
Protect yourself, but keep moving forward
Question to Ponder
What’s an unexpected challenge you dealt with recently and how did you overcome it?
Quote of the Week
Motivation for the days ahead of you.
“The strongest will is the will that knows how to bend.”
– Alice Duer Miller
That's all for now.
Stay creative, my friends—and have a great week!
For more nerdy insights on personal development and creative life, follow me on LinkedIn.
