It seems almost all of the positive messaging on social media is about perseverance and survival. A common encouragement is “We’ll get through this.” WHAT????
Don’t Settle for Survival
If you are in the survival mindset right now, I strongly encourage you to stop thinking in this fatalistic way. This time, right now, when everything seems to be turned on its head, is the perfect time to reexamine how you were spending your time a month ago.
Flashback One Month
Chances are a month ago you were lamenting about all the things you don’t have time to do. Whether it is spending time with your children, starting a meditation practice, or setting up a new podcast where you can share your view of the world.
What people seem to talk about is boredom, the fact they can’t reorganize their closets anymore, or the dreaded constant news predicting more doom and gloom. REALLY?
Try to wrap your mind around all the things you really cared about before this pandemic. More than likely, your desire was not to spend more time at the office. You have unfulfilled dreams you thought were delayed because you didn’t have time. Are you pursuing those dreams now? Has this imposed time away from the office created an opportunity to really get after those goals? Of course, it has!
Doom and Gloom Dominates
It cannot be denied the airwaves and social media are obsessed with the (often unfounded) predictions of an armageddon-like experience for all of us. We worry about ourselves and our families. We feel fenced-in by the restrictions to our activity.
A month ago, you were feeling guilty because you haven’t visited your mother. Now you feel deprived of visiting your mother because the officials have told you it could kill her if you bring your germy self into her proximity.
Get a Grip on Yourself
You control how you use your time during this pandemic more than you have had the honor and privilege to decide your time management in years – maybe decades. Are you squandering it away and whining about what you can’t do and what might happen?
Think again, my friend.
It was August 1983, when I found myself doing something similar. My daughter was about six months old and we lived in the country with a well and septic system. We went without power (and therefore water) for two weeks. At the time, the grocery store shelves were not loaded with a couple of dozen types of bottled water. I don’t even remember where we got water, but it wasn’t close by. We washed and filled milk bottles for drinking water because the water we stashed as the storm was coming in was important for flushing the toilet and our “spit baths”.
I was hot, miserable and focused only on keeping my daughter supplied with damp washcloths in an effort to keep her cool. I could not see a better way. UNTIL…. the power came on. We had electricity, running water and the three of us sighed a big sigh of relief.
Then, a lightbulb went off in my head. It suddenly dawned on me I had family in the Dallas/Ft Worth area. I could have easily taken my daughter in my car to stay with them in comfort. They would have been happy to help. My husband could stay with the house and call when the power was restored.
My Fondness for Rose-Colored Glasses
The story I tell above is true. But I think it was a rare thing for me. Usually, I am able to look past the apparent crisis and find solutions. I was a teen when I was first accused of wearing rose-colored glasses. It was not a compliment.
I have heard the idiom my entire life and never questioned its origin. When I Googled the term, I found this story about a little girl who was optimistic before a bicycle rack fell on her and killed her. I think the people who accused me of being pollyannic felt I was too childish to think bad things.
Perhaps they were right. I do annoy people with my optimism. What does their annoyance say about me? Not much. What does it say about them? A lot!
Bottom Line About Rose Colored Glasses
Whatever is happening, in the world or in the little world inside your house, is going to happen whether we are sad, terrified, lonely, frozen, bored or lazy. It happens.
What you can do about what’s happening is another story, if you want it to be.
Getting back to something mentioned early in this article. Can you remember what you wished you had time to do a month ago? Did you want to:
- Write a book
- Start a podcast
- Spend more time with your kids
- Start a diet
- Eat whatever you want
- Research a topic important to you
- Take an online course to make yourself more valuable to your employer
- Take an online course on knitting, knife sharpening, card tricks, photography, art, food preparation or something else.
I won’t go on because we both know the list is endless. I am personally fond of the idea of creating a book. Notice I didn’t say “writing” because I have worked with a lot of authors. All of them who actually wrote their entire manuscript wasted a ton of time. I had to do a lot of developmental editing and rewriting to make the book attractive to their readers.
If you enjoy writing, go right ahead. Just do it for the joy of writing…not as an efficient and effective way to compose a book.
Download Your Story Easily
This is not a pitch for you to hire me. If you want to talk, contact me. This is a pitch for you downloading your legacy in a way it will be valuable for others. Most people download their story best in conversation with others. The language you use when you talk to your kids about your life is quite different than the one you tell at the keyboard.
If your story is about business, reach out to a colleague and have a conversation with them. The truth is, thought leaders are already changing lives one-at-a-time. Reach out to the people who were impacted by your wisdom and interview them about what you told them and how it helped them.
Audio Record Every Word
Even if you never publish this content to a book or even an article, gathering this story will be your legacy. Store the audio recordings or use some cheap transcription service like Temi.com. Save both versions for the prosperity of its value to you, your family or others.
Today is too precious to waste on worrying.
Get out those rose-colored glasses and start making something of this unexpected time.
Welcome aboard, Kate. We are honored to have you. It’s time for me to get my books digital!
Digital books are going to explode with bookstores and libraries closed. It seems required these days.
Hi, Kate, and thanks.
I’m a BC360 neophyte myself. Now I get to welcome you. How cool is that? I’ve just started working on a new project, Character over Category. Finally designed my first t-shirts and working on a website. The back of the shirts says: What I am is a coincidence. Who I am is a choice.
Stay well.
Mac
Hello Mac – fellow neophyte. I don’t know about you, but I am very impressed with this community. Let’s enjoy the moments.
Welcome, Kate Frank! As a fellow optimist, writer, and author, I appreciate your insights. I sometimes forget about being positive until I am told. For me, there is no choice. You will love this community. By the way, I did some of the things you suggested long before the virus took over the world. As I say to all, I remain optimistic, practical, and cautious.💖
Thanks Darlene. I already love this community. Who knew it was possible to love a group of people who are so rare individually?
Oh oh oh goodness Kate! This is pure gold! Full body chills and I’m so grateful for them lady! I’m also so tired of the survival mindset myself which is not even the COVID-19 creation; I’m afraid!
Yes, this is probably real survival and a fight for our physical existence, but what would we call operating on auto-pilot at least 90% of our day from an invasive subconscious program we didn’t even write in the first place if not SURVIVAL!
Being the filter, the set of personality traits: character traits coming from our original Principles Center granted to us at the moment of the conception (essentially 1. integrity, 2. maturity and 3. abundance mentality) distorted by the life-time conditioning has basically taken our freedom to truly live. How come? Simply because of the urge to constantly prove our worth; our intrinsic one having been harshly discriminated!
“I do annoy people with my optimism. What does their annoyance say about me? Not much. What does it say about them? A lot!”
I so loved this sentence and can relate so much to it even if I truly can’t blame them! They just don’t control it and don’t even understand it! The old me would have been so frustrated when being so excited & enthusiastic sharing something I’m truly passionate about to find herself in front of a poker face!
Today, the first natural physical emotion is still the same. But, when sent to my subconscious mind for treatment so that to translate it into a feeling, instead of leaving it as it is, and because I learned to make of my program my friend through re-writing it, it is transformed into pity. I just wish them some peace!
Obviously, I prefer being surrounded by people with the same level of vibration, I won’t lie about it! It is so nurturing especially when being silly and acting like a 5-year-old! But even those folks who still don’t know how to liberate their inner-kid, but who are at least having such a large smile are so lovable and such a great company!
Anyway, thanks again for this masterpiece dear Kate! It really hugged my heart!
Thanks Myriam. Let our inner kids out to play – every day.
Love this, Kate! I just had a conversation with someone about “getting back to normal when we didn’t have time to do the things we’ve always wanted to do.” Thanks for sharing, and welcome to BC360!
Thanks for the welcome. We are defining our own personal new normal these days.
Welcome Kate.
We need more people like you in the world.
How kind of you to say I am needed. I will do my best to live up to this expectation.
Kate, welcome to the group! Each of us is reacting differently to our changed world. There is fear, anxiety, amongst many other feelings. Each person has to get through this according to how they feel is best. I think the most important thing right now is to keep connecting with people (other than face to face) to make sure they have what they need and are not feeling all alone. Stay well!
Since I live a lot of my life in isolation, reaching out to a community like this is a shift. I think it is a welcome shift to my life.
Kate, I can’t believe you live a lot fo your life in isolation. The reason I say that is because that is how I live a lot of my life. It’s nice to converse with somebody with somebody that understands. Stay safe & Well!
I am what I call an outgoing introvert. It’s hard to get me out of the house except for one-on-one times with people I really like. But when I find myself at a party, I am joking, laughing, telling stories and exhausting all my people energy. I was in marketing for a couple of decades and will be fine if I never go to another cocktail party with more than a dozen people.
LOVE this re-frame, Kate! Yes!
Love your supportive words Kimberly.
Kate – Welcome to the BC360 family. I can assure you that you will find the engagement to be respectful, fellow authors to be encouraging, and avid readers who will become online friends. Enjoy this wonderful experience. Great article to get you started on building a following.
Thanks Len. Your description of this community fits everything I have experienced so far.