I hope all of you are healthy and well in this challenging time. Like all of us, I hope we can get back to some sort of “normal” very soon. I took a few minutes and reflected recently on the lessons I have learned over the last few weeks of being at home with my family and transitioning my coaching/consulting business into a virtual offering during this period of imposed isolation.
What lessons stand out?
- My family is more resilient than I gave us credit for. We get on each other’s nerves at times, but we have made the most of our forced time together. Long walks every day, board games, family reading time, nightly prayer time, movie watching and talking over home cooked meals have brought us closer and I am confident we can weather any storm.
- I am incredibly grateful…for nurses, doctors, pharmacy workers, Publix, Kroger, Target and Wal Mart employees, truck drivers, first responders, restaurant workers and anyone on the front lines doing their jobs so we can stay at home and beat this thing. They place themselves in danger every day and we should be thankful. If you venture out and encounter one of these heroes, I encourage you to share how much you appreciate them.
- Connecting is more important than ever. I love coffee meetings, warm handshakes and the occasional hug for folks I know well…but this is just not possible now. Instead, I have focused on calls, Zoom meetings, texting, email and hand-written notes to stay connected to the people in my life. Humans need community and we have to create it with whatever means we have at our disposal.
- This crisis should not limit our ability to share encouragement and help to others. We are all dealing, in our own way, with the challenges of COVID-19. I have realized that no matter how I, my family or my business may be affected, there are others dealing with the same issues (or possibly something far worse). Despite these challenges, we can be encouraging and helpful to others. Let’s ask what we can do for folks in our network. Let’s be encouraging and focus on a brighter future and not just our own issues and present circumstances.
- I don’t miss the noise. I have enjoyed the forced silence and slower pace. I am devouring books I was once too busy to read. I am writing again. I am more reflective and living in the moment. I pray more than ever. I am selective about times I listen to or read the news and try to limit screen time. I will have to more fully re-engage with the world when this is over, but I am going to remember my rediscovered love of quiet time and I won’t forget.
I guess the final and most important lesson is that hope and faith always conquers fear. This disease is scary and we can easily get overwhelmed seeing the ever-increasing numbers of those who are infected or who have died. I am very hopeful that we will fight and win against this virus. I have faith that our economy will quickly rebound. I am hopeful for a brighter future and that we will emerge stronger than ever as a nation and more united as a people. I have faith in God that He will see us through.
What have you learned during this tumultuous and unique time in our history and what will you do differently when it is behind us?
