What do I do with this overwhelm?

I've been feeling the sadness, pain, frustration, loss and helplessness. Today especially.

At the macro level for the planet and humanity.

At the micro level for all those most directly affected.

We have to do better.

For our brothers and sisters. Mothers and fathers. Sons and daughters. For all the future generations.

We are failing at so many levels right now.

When I really allow myself to feel these feeling, it is quite overwhelming.

I do my best to turn that overwhelm into fuel.

Find the gift. Focus on what I can control. Support what I want more of in the world. And get back to work creating, improving, inspiring and building.

How do I show up when the world is melting down?

With everything going on in the world at the moment, it feels important to look inward at how I'm showing up.

My personal objective is to prevent myself from contracting the virus for as long as I can to help flatten the curve and also to become laser focused amidst the chaos.

All in focus on the things I can control.

Yes, I want to be informed and prepared and understand what is happening in the world at large, but only so that I may help me make better informed decisions or take action. Halted trading on stock exchange or the decision to cancel Coachella has virtually no impact my immediate schedule and where I need to focus.

On the other hand, there's a lot of emotions that are surfacing during these times, and it's important not to ignore them.

I feel incredibly sad for the people all of the people already affected by this virus and the people who will be affected in the coming days, weeks and months. My personal, unscientific belief is that this is going to get much, much worse before it gets better and that makes my heart hurt. My sadness, my frustration with the current state of containment, testing and leadership in the US and all the other emotions that are coming up do not change where I need to focus. They do not change how I need to show up to each and every meeting, situation and activity.

Take care of myself, take care of my loved ones, do not get caught up in the hysteria and focus on what I can control. This is my reminder to show up as a leader and a rock for those around me during whatever comes next.

How do I control the things I can't control?

We humans have been hardwired to desire a perception of control since before there was recorded history. Studies show that control is not only essential for our well-being, but that in earlier times it was a biological imperative for our survival as a species.

So it's no wonder we want to control anything and everything.

And yet we can't.

We can't control the weather. We can't control the color of the sky. We can't control other people's feelings and experiences. In fact, there is actually very little in this world that we as an individual can control.

The simplified version of what we can control from my perspective is this:

• Mindset
• Focus
• Self Care
• How we show up

That's pretty much it.

All of those things within our control are internal, and yet we put some much effort into trying controlling the external world. We spin our wheels and exhaust ourselves physically, emotionally and spiritually with virtually nothing to show for it. And it makes sense if we think about it from an evolutionary standpoint. Our ability to control was central to our survival, but now it's almost the opposite.

Today, our ability to let go of the need for control of our external environment is key to our health and happiness. What served our ancestors so well is the very thing that is holding us back today.

When I find myself trying to control the things I cannot control, I go through a simple exercise.

What's the worst that could happen? What's the best that could happen? And what's the most likely thing that could happen? Once I identify these, I make them real in my mind so that I can feel and experience each of these possible paths. From there, I'm able to let go of my need to control the things I can't control. I have prepared myself for whatever will happen, so I can focus on the things I can control.

Trust me, I know this is easier said than done. I'm experiencing this all right now in real time with my father being in the hospital. And I keep coming back to this frame of control. I will control the things that are within my control, and I'll let the rest of it go.