Bouncing Back – Part 2

Yesterday, we talked about “corporate disasters” and the resiliency required to pull through them. Today, let’s talk about the most important component in a successful recovery – affirmations.

As you may know, affirmations are simply present-tense statements of fact – about the future. Affirmations are usually most effective when they are personal, but you cannot beat an organizational affirmation that has total buy-in from everyone. “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts,” so to speak. It becomes the organization’s “vision” for tomorrow, and leads you through to success.

For yourself personally, you must believe that your contribution to the organization is valuable. “I am valued by leadership for my talents and expertise.” “I am comfortable expressing my thoughts in meetings, because I know what I have to say is valuable.” As a group, when faced with a challenge, you might affirm, “No matter what gets thrown at us, we hit it out of the park.”

The important thing is to have your mind firmly fixed on the future, the future without the current challenge. What will it look like? Remember, your subconscious mind moves you toward the most dominant picture. If all you are thinking about is the current “disaster,” then you won’t be able to move forward.

Keep affirming daily the way you want the future to be, paint it vividly in your mind, and keep your personal self-talk and your group self-talk aimed at a positive future. Watch each other for those times when you slip back into the old habits, bringing up the past, instead of focusing on the future. Remember, it’s what you want, collectively, not what you don’t want.