The Skills We Need to Face the Challenges of 2021

In a previous post, we talked about the role of optimism and pessimism in being able to determine the future. How we look at things does have a major impact on what we do and how things turn out in our lives. When we talk to ourselves in an optimistic way we are giving ourselves positive self instructions and predictions about how things will go for us in the future. When we talk to ourselves in a pessimistic way, we are usually making negative predictions about the future and our ability to manage the future. Generally speaking, positive self-instructions work better than negative ones.

We also talked about the importance of remembering that most things, either good or bad, are not permanent. This too will pass. We also discussed the reality that most things do not have a pervasive effect on our lives but a specific one, and that accountability is important but blaming is different and not helpful.

We certainly have a lot to deal with this year. Getting the virus under control and bringing our divided nation together are two of the major issues facing us in 2021. We need to be resilient, remembering that resilience is the power to adapt well to adversity. It is the process of coping with and managing tragedy and crisis in our lives. Resilience is a set of skills and attitudes that we can learn. It is not genetically determined or inherited.

We need each other in this country. In order to come together, we need to be able to communicate well with others and problem solve, both individually and with others. This involves listening and problem-solving skills with the goal being to work as a team member within our community.

We also need to be able to make realistic plans and take action to carry them out. Being able to see what is rather than what we would like to see is part of the skill. Being proactive rather than reactive, being assertive rather than aggressive or passive are all important components of this skill.

Perhaps one of the most important things that we can do to move things forward in this country is to find purpose and meaning in doing it. We need to be able to make sense of what is happening and to find meaning in it. We are a country in crisis. Spiritual and religious practices can often help us create this meaning and purpose. Covid-19 is a crisis, but it's also created opportunities for us. It has forced many of us to break old patterns of behavior and try different ways of dealing with the problems that we are facing. Trying in a different way rather than trying harder in the same way is often the key to making positive change.

There are other skills and attitudes that we need to exercise and to get better at. We will talk more about these in the next post. But for now, remember that being connected to others and being able to communicate with others is critical if we are going to move our lives and our country forward. As we indicated in our earlier post, we need to deal with the strong feelings that come up in this crisis and find ways to express them in a positive way so that they do not cloud our thinking. And we need to find purpose and meaning in the present. Being able to see the big picture is critical as is remembering that few things are permanent and pervasive and to be blamed for the present.