Embracing the Madness of March

March Madness

We’re 3 months into 2025 and it feels like someone has the fast-forward button stuck on the remote control. And not only does life seem to be happening fast, it also seems to be furious. No matter your politics, is anyone feeling a sense of peace? And if so, what is your secret?

March has always been my favorite month because of the NCAA basketball tournament. A time for binge watching sports, riding the highs and lows of upsets and buzzer beaters, and watching my tournament brackets get busted.

Yes, the tournament can be the ultimate distraction away from the uncertainty of the world we live in. In fact, I spent the better portion of my youth pushing away any feelings of darkness and distracting myself from anything uncomfortable. I am really good at it. But life, experience, and a lot of self-work has opened me up to the pain of avoiding the hard stuff, and the growth and healing from facing it head on.

So, if you are like me, and are tempted to cover your eyes and ears and wish that it all goes away - here are some tips for staying composed while embracing the facts. 

1. Get Neutch!: As a Head Coach at Limitless Minds, we teach the power of Neutral Thinking. We define Neutral Thinking as the ability to look at any situation objectively based on the facts, without letting our feelings, emotions, and judgments cloud or control our response. So, take whatever issue you are challenged with right now, and regardless of how it makes you feel, can you accept the facts as reality, and then choose your response with action in alignment with your values and purpose? If so, you are in effective collaboration with reality - instead of being in denial of it. So get neutral - get neutch!

2. Think Globally - Act Locally: Looking at all of the challenges of the world can be debilitating. The more time we spend consuming endless amounts of news, the more helpless we feel. Instead, find the “right” amount of staying informed with world events that work for you, but then focus your time, energy and impact on what is happening in your own community. Can you make the big…small? Can you make the complex…simple? By focusing on local issues you have greater influence, and that influence has a global impact. So, whenever you are feeling overwhelmed with what is happening around the world, ask yourself, “What is something I can do in my community?” There is no such thing as small acts of impact. 

3. Be Kind: This is really important. If you are feeling any level of stress and anxiety, there is a good chance others are feeling it as well. Just as we don’t want others spewing their negativity on us, we don’t need to spray our negativity on them. Be kind. Have grace. Express patience and tolerance. And, most important, be kind to yourself. The Golden Rule of treat others the way you want to be treated still works, as does the Platinum Rule of treat yourself the way you want others to treat you. If we all started with a little bit of self-kindness, and sharing kindness with others, we may start to feel the emotional temperature cooling off some. 

As a good friend of mine loves to say, “this is simple, but not easy.” Or, when talking to another good friend, he explained his spirituality simply as, “Loving the person in front of me.” 

Once you master these three steps…you get to move on to step #4: Repeat steps 1-3

Now, back to the Madness. Go Sparty!

-Travis