Today I came to have a conversation. A conversation with the person that is currently in or entering survival mode. Speaking from experience, survival mode can feel stressful and never ending. In times of survival mode, short-term survival is your main focus, making it hard to plan or dream for the future, but what if I told you survival mode has its benefits? That’s what we’re here to talk about today. By the end of our conversation, you should hopefully be able to change the narrative of survival mode and begin to take control.
Embracing Growth Through Survival: Lessons from a Single Parent Household to Entrepreneurship
Growing up in a single parent household and now with being a full-time entrepreneur, I have spent most of my life navigating the ropes of survival mode. Through my experience, I’ve learned that even though it doesn’t feel like it, survival mode is temporary. It’s the growth that you receive from being in survival mode that is permanent. No storm lasts forever and usually after every storm, there is sunshine that follows. I want to share my story of discovering the benefits of survival mode and hopefully it inspires you to embrace the lessons of hardship, helping you come out on the other side of a crisis.
Sharpened Decision Making: The Unexpected Benefit of Survival Mode
A very recognizable benefit of survival mode is sharpened decision making. In high pressure situations, your decision making becomes more instinctive. You learn to cut through distractions and focus on what really matters. I’ve seen that my mind is at its sharpest when I am in a time of crisis, simply because each one of my steps need to be counted. Shamelessly, there have been numerous times in my life where my accounts were in the negative for weeks. This caused some real deal pressure, but with all the pressure, it forced me to plan all the moves to get my back up off the wall.
Unlocking Creative Thinking: The Power of Survival Mode in Decision Making
Survival mode sharpens decision making and that in turn also unlocks the benefit of creative thinking. When the storms of life are coming down and options are limited, you are forced to think outside the box. I’ve had some of my best ideas come to me in a time of crisis. In survival mode, I am forced to create new solutions to old problems. My bills, food, and even gas in my car are all things that are going to be there whether I'm in survival mode or not. With the combination of a sharpened mind and creative thinking, I can guarantee you that possible new solutions to your old problems will begin to come to mind.
Deepening Faith: The Spiritual Benefit of Survival Mode
The last benefit of survival mode, which is probably the most important, is a deepened relationship with God. It is unfortunate that sometimes we have to go through a really tough time to start yearning for God to be in our lives, but without him bringing us through a difficult time, we may never admire how good he is. In my times of survival mode, I find myself listening for God more than I usually do, which brings me back to the other two benefits I shared. When your mind is sharp and you start thinking creatively, those thoughts are coming from God and he’s always been there. It’s that you are just now listening to him. Oftentimes, when things are all good and going our way, we tune him out. I know I have done that multiple times.
Transforming Survival Mode: From Surviving to Thriving
In closing, If you are a person in or entering survival mode, I challenge you to change the narrative. It starts by acknowledging that you are in survival mode and then you must understand that survival mode is temporary. After doing that, you can look beyond survival mode. You can shift from short term goals to long term goals. It is possible for you to go from surviving to thriving. Have a great week.