If I have to watch one more celebrity tell me "we're all in this together" and "we'll get through this" and "we're all in the same boat" (have you seen THEIR boats?) I'm sure you can imagine....
How frail does one have to be that life hinges on that precious word from obscure celebrity that "we'll be okay?"
And is this the year we learn as a culture how to wipe properly and that washing our hands is actually a good thing? What does THAT say about our species?
Every channel is reporting hope, no hope, change of hope, partial hope. It's on every station, every outlet. I think I could use a new flavor - has anyone had a scandal lately? Any new natural disasters to report? How about a report from somewhere that HASN'T been touched by the virus? Is Greenland doing okay? If so, let's get an interview on their day-to-day.
Perhaps insert a good sports metaphor here? (Oops! No sports!)
Or maybe a story from my grandparents' lives during "the war" right now? Are there any we can talk to or are they locked away for their own safety?
I can't even joke about the San Diego weatherman - best job in the world - "sunny and nice" every day! Now it's "sunny and covid."
I have to fiercely focus on several things I'm thankful for as I write this:
1) I'm healthy
2) I have my wits about me
3) I'm being careful
4) I have something to do!
5) I have no interest in eating bat-on-a-stick.
That's terrible, I know. However, I think what we could all use is more reassurance to use common sense. OR, perhaps start talking more about common sense. Maybe this is the time to break the bad habits:
1) Texting and driving
2) Rushing through life and missing the important details.
3) Taking too many things for granted
4) Placing faith in the wrong people (or organizations!)
5) DON'T EAT DIRTY FOOD!
And so on - but I digress.
I'm reminded of great success stories that came from the depression, the recession, the session on regression - how did they do it? What wisdom did they possess? Were they geniuses of their age? Is that great power lost forever?
A few best practices I learned from those success stories that may be helpful as we truly try to sort it all out:
1) They WANTED it. They worked hard and stayed on it. Perseverance pays. If it didn't work out, it was often because they didn't want it enough.
2) They created options. Diversification wins! One revenue stream may suffer, but the other 10 won't.
3) They adapted. The cliche' "I'm in the wrong business" didn't apply - if the need changed, they retrofitted and adjusted the machines and made widgets instead of gadgets.
4) They stayed focused and paid attention. This echoes "1" a bit - success is not a sprint, it's a marathon.
How can these apply to your current situation? Build your own boat and don't worry about who else is in it with you - just ROW!