Tuesday 14th April 2020 - Mind-set during this time.

Posted 1:15pm

With the lockdown going on till the end of April at least, we need to remain positive. It can feel like everything is against you, that normality is far away, and you have no control. However, it is important to keep your mind-set positive and stay upbeat.

Lazza (me) would like to give you a prime example of how this helped him (me)  - in a roundabout way - a few years ago.

It was this very day six years ago I plunged back into a depression. My ex-friend and his partner had conned me out of my life savings a year before. He was becoming a train driver and got a rise of over £15000 when he qualified. Yet he was telling a court he needed all that money - and astonishingly they let him keep all of it. I was getting back £100 every four weeks, and they would not increase it. I was, at the time, struggling financially, in depression. I had been coming out of it. The decision plunged me back down.
I had just completed half of a programme that was getting me back active and towards work. I contacted the programme and dropped out. I just could not handle the unfairness of the situation, and felt the world was collapsing. It was crushing, and I could not see any way that things could improve.

So for the next few months I collapsed back into depressions, self-pity (a lot of 'why me' thoughts).
But my project was also vital for me. I knew that promoting a growth mindset could help people. I had already come through a desperate depression between 2004 and 2006. So I knew I needed to push myself, be active, and regain my life.

So one Friday in August, I picked up the telephone and called the programme people - saying that I knew it would help me, and would I be allowed back on the next course. By pure chance, the course started the following Monday - just three days later. If I had not picked up the phone I would never have known.

From that programme, I did an amazing work placement for a month at Freshfields Solicitors in London, which picked me up and improved my mental health hugely. I also met Scott - our business mentor - who was only mean to be around for six months, and in fact is still with us nearly six years later. His help has been vital in getting us where we are. I was able to focus on the project, and look where we are now - with amazing feedback, terrific contacts and networks, and ambitions for a great future.

So what am I saying?  It may feel like things are bad now, that we are living with uncertainty over our futures, and we don't know what will happen with finances, employment or health.
There are no guarantees, or promises, that being proactive will mean things will be good again. However, if you don't take positive action, push yourself forward, and create that feeling of self-confidence, then you can be sure nothing will happen anyway, and there will be no improvement.

Be active.  Be strong. Be busy. Be Healthy. You have a responsibility to make the best choices possible to work towards a happy, healthy life. Look after your bodies, your fitness, your diets, and your routines.