This year has delivered some unexpected and shock election results. In June, a referendum in the UK saw the British people vote to leave the European Union. On November 8th Donald Trump defied all the odds and the pollsters to win the US presidential election.

There has been plenty of media coverage so I’m not going to add to the political analysis here. However, a few things have occurred to me whilst watching the coverage and political debate programmes this year.

Both elections had very close results in percentage terms (almost split 50/50) and this clearly demonstrates how divided the nations are on these important issues. I’ve been shocked at some of the anger and nastiness that has been on show in the various campaigns.

It hasn’t been confined to the politicians seeking victory. The public on either side of the debate have been very passionate in expressing their views and displeasure with the opposing arguments. I’ve seen instances of frustration being expressed in an extremely aggressive manner by audience members, moderators and interviewers in various debate programmes.

A lesson that I drew from the US presidential election coverage is that we all have to find a way to insulate ourselves from the fear, hatred and negativity that seems to be created by some of the media coverage.

To do this, we may choose to minimise the amount of news coverage that we watch, read or listen to each day as a way to protect ourselves. Instead we can make the choice to focus on the present moment and the things we can control to make our own environments as good as they can be.

We can all play a part in making the world a better place, regardless of who is president of the USA or whether Britain is a member of the European Union. Whilst they may have some influence on our lives, these factors don’t have to have a major impact on our daily reality. We are in control of creating our own reality.

Every day we have the power and choice about where we place our focus and energy. It’s within our gift about how and where we make a positive difference in the world. Interestingly, Michael Jackson’s song “Heal the World” came on my IPOD last week. Some of the lyrics that I’ve detailed below seem like a great antidote for the mood and energy that has been on display:-

“Heal the world make it a better place, for you and for me and the entire human race. There are people dying if you care enough for the living, make it a better place, for you and for me.”

With this in mind, I’ve given some thought to how we can all play a part in making the world a better a place. We can:-

  • All take small actions and collectively create a positive ripple to counter the negativity, fear and nastiness that’s prevalent.
  • Choose to count our blessings and be grateful for what we have in life.
  • Look at ways we make our environments and part of the world pleasant.
  • Get clarity on what’s working and is right in our life and consider ways that we can build on this.
  • Be compassionate to our fellow human beings. More compassion creates better relationships and inspires others to follow this approach.
  • Carefully consider the impact on others of our actions and decisions before we speak or act.
  • Ensure our language and words are always temperate.
  • Have greater empathy for people suffering challenges and hardship.
  • Be present and give people our full attention.
  • Spend less time on technology in the virtual world and more time in the real world.
  • Decide to listen more than we talk and help people we interact with feel heard, valued and important.
  • Be nice to people.
  • Be kind to ourselves. Ensure our self-talk is empowering.
  • Look for what’s positive about people and situations.
  • Be encouraging and supportive of other’s endeavours and happy for their success and achievements.
  • Give credit where credit is due.
  • Recognise people’s value and contributions and express gratitude for the positive impact they have on our life.

One final important suggestion. We can regularly perform small random acts of kindness. This can be simple things like letting someone go in front of us in a queue, holding a door open, offering a compliment, giving an unexpected gift or even making someone a cup of tea!

This week, why not take a few moments to pause and reflect and consider what actions you can take to help make your part of the world a better place. Are there are other people you can encourage to do the same?

This week’s quotation:

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” Margaret Mead

To arrange a free no obligation consultation, please contact Stephen Pauley via the contact form or by e mail: Stephen@befirstclass.co.uk