Keep Calm and Carry On.
I’m sure you have seen this iconic poster somewhere. A few years back, it was all the rave after being discovered in an old bookshop in Alnwick, England. As a real estate agent, I couldn’t tell you the number of times I saw this poster hanging in someone’s home. The poster became iconic in pop culture. Yes, the phrase is fun and in itself is powerful.
If you know the story behind the poster, the meaning behind the slogan becomes so much more powerful. The poster is one of three created by the British government in preparation for World War II. The first poster read our Courage, Your Cheerfulness, Your Resolution; Will Bring Us Victory, the second, Freedom is in Peril; Defend it with all Your Might. The third was never nationally dispersed and posted: the now infamous “Keep Calm and Carry On.”
This last poster was created, printed and held in reserve in preparation for being distributed in the event of the Nazi German blitzkrieg bombing of London. It was a simple message to potentially frightened people. Fortunately, the poster was never needed, and eventually, most of the 2.4 million posters printed in 1939 were recycled in the 1940s during a paper shortage.
Equipped with that knowledge, imagine with me, if you will: It’s the 1940s, and your city is being bombed by a tyrannical country led by an evil man bent on putting the world under his thumb. At a moment’s notice, one of those bombs could fall on you or one or more of your loved ones. The world as you know it can change in a moment. Possibly forever. Yet, plastered throughout your bombed city is a single, stoic message: “Keep Calm and Carry On.” It's a simple but powerful phrase that says to remain calm in the presence of adversity.
It’s not the 1940s. And we don’t face the possible imminent bombing of our home. That, however, does not diminish the feeling many have today of bombs going off in their lives. Maybe not actual military bombs, but that doesn’t lessen the effect that the challenges in your life may have on you, the feeling that everything around you is falling apart. Life can feel very chaotic at times—like you’re walking through a minefield with bombs going off all around you.
But hey, it’s OK. Just keep calm and carry on. You cannot affect what others do. And unfortunately, there probably is not much, if anything you can do to affect what happens on a national level. What you can control is how you react.
You have the ability to control your response to what's happening around you. You have the ability to turn something negative into something positive. The first step, though, is to keep calm and just keep pushing through. Boats don’t sink from the water around them; they sink when the water gets in. Don’t let the negativity in; keep it all around you and float on top of it as you float on by what the world throws at you.
You now know the first step to get through any adversity.
Keep Calm and Carry On.
About the Author
Peter Levinson is the eXp Branch Office Broker for the Levinson Real Estate Team. Find more information at forsaleokc.com or call 405.285.5750.