Sorry I have been away for a couple weeks. I have been walking the same strange path as you have and through that storm, I have a great gift to share with you that can help.
As you might imagine, I have been busy spending a lot of my time supporting my network and family. Between zooms, podcasts, private calls and spending time with my family, however, I have also been spending time trying to figure out the best answers how to weather this storm.
Like you, I have been looking for clarity and craving a way to regain control. I have longed to “return to normal” and examined dozens of scenarios hoping to precisely predict what is going to happen in the future. If you have been doing this like me, you have discovered there are no “sure bets” and every scenario in this current battle between the economy and humanity poses new challenges. But by looking too far forward or backward I only caused myself more confusion, anxiety and pain.
When I started to return my focus to the present, I was reminded of my greatest power. And when I regained this power, there is one thing that has started to come more clearly into view.
I have seen something hazy up in the distance.
At first I thought it was a mirage.
I wasn’t sure what to believe.
But now I know it to be true.
The OASIS is coming.
And today I am going to share the gift that this OASIS has taught me. You will learn how an OASIS can provide the three things we need most right now to weather this storm: Patience, Faith and Hope.
And where did I learn about the power of the OASIS?
On a trip to the desert of course!
A few months before being locked down by the COVID-19 virus, I took a trip to Kuwait. When I travel, not only do I want to teach my courses and meet new people, but I also want to try the unique foods and experiences that a culture has to offer.
So, in addition to sampling the food, trying on the customary clothes and attempting to learn words of the Arabic language, I also wanted to venture outside the modern cities and see the desert.
On the drive out to the desert, I was given the mask I am wearing in the photo above. I now wear it when I venture out of my house at this time as my reminder not just to prevent the spread of a virus, but also to promote the spread of something else. Even though the mask wasn’t created for the COVID-19 virus, it was created for a storm.
A sandstorm to be exact.
Although I had only heard about them from books, I thought sandstorms were the things of legends. But unlike flying carpets in the desert, a sandstorm is real. Sandstorms can be incredibly blinding and choking. They create a confusing environment and you don’t know which way to go. And coupled with the searing heat and the unknown of how long the storm will last, a sandstorm can steal your hope while filling you with anxiety and fear.
But in the desert, there is another thing that I have heard of that can defeat the powerfully negative effects of a sandstorm.
That is the OASIS.
Even though a sandstorm or the debilitating heat of the desert can leave you depressed, confused or giving up hope, just a glimpse of the OASIS in the distance can change everything.
Just seeing or reminding yourself the OASIS is there can immediately change that fear and sadness into happiness and optimism. And making that internal change can also deliver the strength and energy needed to carry on further until the OASIS is finally reached. Almost like magic, an OASIS can provide a reservoir of positive energy you didn’t know existed.
And the most important part about this transformation of mind and body that I want to share?
You are still in the storm when you make it!
Here is the gift I have for you today: The power to change how you think and feel is always inside of you! Even in the toughest challenges you can have the faith, hope and patience necessary to seek out the OASIS.
Right now, many countries and U.S. States are already starting to see the OASIS more clearly. Places are starting to lift some of the restrictions. As faith and hope are increasing, I just wanted to write this to make sure as you get back to your life, you don’t miss the important lesson from this experience. This is not your first storm and it won’t be your last. But armed with the ability to control your thoughts, you will be more prepared the next time you go into the storm. If you are unhappy now, it is not due to the COVID situation outside, but because your own thoughts inside. So, your freedom isn’t found inside or outside of your home, it is first found in your head. And what is the best way to give yourself some of that freedom and faith right now? By performing what I call a little “Thought Surgery” on yourself! Just like a surgeon removing some unhealthy tissues from the body, you have to act like a surgeon and delicately remove the negative thoughts that are having cancerous effects on your mind.
Instead of a scalpel, I suggest you use questions to cut out of the negatively and expose the positives that exist in your life right now. By continuing to ask the following questions each day until the OASIS is reached, you will be better armed to battle against what the storm with throw at you. Just like no one becomes a surgeon overnight, you will have to practice these questions over and over until they become automatic. These 5 questions will force you to find the good in the moment and provide the energy you need to keep fighting the good fight.
5 Ways To Be A Positive “Thought Surgeon”
1. What is something to celebrate today?
2. What or who am I grateful for today?
3. What is something great that can happen today?
4. How can I be of positive service to someone else today?
5. Who do I want to be when I emerge from the storm?
How did I discover the freedom on the inside? By traveling through a number of storms over the years on the outside.
You don’t have to get “back to normal” in order for you to experience peace of mind.
The OASIS is your reminder that peace of mind, energy and hope are always available. You just have to believe.
You just have to see it.
Can you see it?
Because believe me, it is there. You will get through this storm. It is my hope you are able to use the questions above to help you at this tough time to emerge from this storm as a person you can be proud of.
Stay strong and stay safe,
Martin
