Preparation is Key: A blog on the positive takeaways that we can move forward with from coronavirus.

Preparation is Key

What if I told you that in 2020 Kobe Bryant would die in a horrific accident along with eight other beautiful souls? What if I told you that in 2020 Tom Brady would no longer be a Patriot, but merely a Buccaneer? What if I told you in 2020 that for the first time in over a decade, that school shootings would be virtually nonexistent (I would also have to tell you it’s because there are no kids at school)? What if I told you that in 2020 oil prices would be the lowest that we’ve seen them in over 20 years?  What if I told you that in 2020 you would be expected to wear a mask everywhere you went? What if I told you that in 2020 when you would sneeze those around you would yell at you rather than say “bless you?” What if I told you that in 2020 over 20,000,000 of us would be seeking unemployment and many of the family businesses that we’ve grown to love in our communities would be forever changed or no longer around? What if I told you that in 2020 the stock market would fall to a historically low rate? What if I told you that in 2020 we were going to have a pandemic run rampant throughout our world, changing the way that we live forever the (causing schools to close down, graduations to be canceled, weddings to be put on hold, businesses to close, a mandate for all those to stay at home, a fear by many for their health, healthcare workers fearful to go to work, sports canceled for the first time in their history, and a near shutdown of our economy)? What if I also told you that this pandemic was from something that we could not even see? An invisible enemy. Would you believe me? No, you would laugh at me. What if I told you that I was 100% positive not all of these things were going to happen. Would you prepare differently? I guess we’ll never know.

First off I would like to pay my respects to those whom we have lost from this unfortunate enemy. Secondly, I would like to acknowledge our healthcare workers, frontline professionals, and essential workers. God bless each and every one of you. Lastly, I would like to acknowledge everyone as a whole, as each and every one of you and us is essential and has a purpose here in this world.

Have you at all thought about the reasoning behind all of this? The purpose behind what is going on, in the world that we are currently living in amid coronavirus. For those who have, it has probably driven you crazy to not get the answers that you want to get regarding, “When will this return back to normal?” Even if we were to consider how scientifically we will sometime return to where we were in society prior to this, with no COVID-19 running rampant, it is also fair to say that this pandemic has changed the world and the people within it, forever… So, now I ask you, how has it changed you? Thus, is it fair to say that the “normal” that we previously knew society and our lives to be, prior to his pandemic, will it ever be that “normal” again? I don’t believe so. I believe that we are embarking on a “new normal.” A new normal for the world, for businesses, for people, for society… How will we adapt?

This unprecedented time has brought about many tough questions to each of us. How will we be socially distant? Is our form of socially distancing the same as somebody else’s? Are we a part of the solution and not the problem? How long will the stay at home mandate be? Nobody is really affected by this as I am. Should I be afraid of getting coronavirus? Or, should I be afraid of infecting others not knowing that I have it? What are my action plans if I or a family member gets coronavirus? Should I even go to the store? What do I get the store? Toilet paper? This is so tough to even know if I can leave the house for anything essential because I cannot see the enemy. Unfortunately, these questions are probably too late to answer now for some of us. Unfortunately, these questions are probably too late to answer now for some of us. While these are unprecedented questions that we are all asking, let’s hope it is the one and only time we’ll never have to ask them again. But, at the very least let’s be prepared to answer these questions if they do rise again. If there is something valuable that we have learned about all of us in the midst of all of this is that we all have the innate ability to adapt to immediate change. Obviously, in this case, we did not have a choice but to adapt.

I'm sure many of you thinking, “2020 stinks.” Can we move on to 2021 already?

We are all living in the unfortunate reality of getting a learning lesson on the idea of “cause and effect.“ Whether this was an act of God, done by people, done by others, or by animals we all are now being affected by the cause. Typically, this learning lesson doesn’t hit home as it has recently for all of us, because we tend to not realize the effect that our actions have on others. Or, when we are affected by others, this is only from the first or second- degree of separation, thus we don’t see it as a tremendous deal. I can assure you for the rest of human history, those who are alive today will take this notion differently in terms of how their actions will affect people in the future.

Many have acknowledged that we are all in this together.  If which could not be in fact more true.  However, some seem to think that this is affecting everybody in the same way.  I would argue that it’s affecting everybody differently.  We are all in the same storm together, we are just all riding on different boats and trying to navigate our own boat.  We cannot let the reality of physical distancing mandates, allow us to mentally, emotionally, and socially distance ourselves from others.  We must find other ways to come together.  #alonetogether

I’m sure the same goes for many of you, these trying times have left me in a very peculiar place. In a place where I have been out of my “previous normal” routine and what came along with it. I have been in a place where I have had more hours than I could ever have dreamed of for reflection, downtime, confinement, social media information gathering, time with loved ones, time with roommates, time devoted to my pet, time to strategize about the future, time to reflect on the pass, time to get caught up on work (professionally, personally, relationally, projects around the house), and most importantly time to digest tons of information being thrown at me, every which way. For some of us, this allows us to be more calculated in our decisions, thus making better decisions. For others, it might allow for more time for us to overthink things and not act on opportunities right in front of us. This isn’t to say that this time, of extra allotted time if you will, is either good or bad, it is just different for all. However, I’m here to tell you that there’s so much good that can come of this. Some might say, how do we prepare for something that we don't know is coming? I can assure all of you there are always things that we can do to prepare for what is unforeseen. Are we reading the writing on the wall? Let’s take a look…

I ask you these questions personally. How are you perceiving this so-called “extra time?”

·       Are you losing your mind with this extra time being out of your routine?

·       In the midst of filing for unemployment are you fearful of your future?

·       Are you fearful of your future personally and professionally, regardless of not having to file for unemployment? Because you are one of the fortunate ones that didn’t have to.

·       Are you embracing this “extra time” to be productive and not only get caught up but also to get ahead personally and professionally? Or, are you not utilizing this time to your advantage?

·       Is this time of social distancing, socially pulling you away from friends and family? Or, are you finding non-conventional ways to communicate even more with family and friends to stay in touch and to always stay connected?

·       Has this “extra time” given you more clarity on the future or made it more confusing?

·       Are you an employee of a company that had the ability to pay you to be at home, either working remotely or even paid to be home during a time of no professional work? Are you finding ways in the midst of this to be a productive employee even in the midst of your at-home confinement?

·       Are you a business owner? Do you feel an obligation to all of your employees to keep them employed? Yes, there are things that are completely out of your control, but you are sitting there strategizing on how you can take care of your employees, probably even before yourself. For you, this may not even feel like “extra time” as much as it does “less time.” You probably feel as if you have to act fast, move fast, adapt fast, file for PPP Loans, and implement strategies quickly just to stay afloat. Right now, there are not enough hours in the day for you to strategize more, implement more, position yourself better, and have enough revenues coming in to not only keep the business afloat but to take care of all of your employees.

·       Have you watched TV more or less than before? Even with no sports on, other than replays, have you found a new show? Have you watched “Tiger King?” Have you got caught up in the social media gossip surrounding the shows? Does it matter? Right now it seems like it does because it feels like it’s all that we have.

·       How has social media been? Active? You probably have felt as if you’ve never had this much time to be on your phone and connected to others. But, are you connected in the right ways?

The point of these questions is not to single any one person out, but to remind each and every one of us that we are all affected in different ways by this. However, each of us can take the approach of finding the good in this, seeking out the light between the clouds, and consulting with the positive nature that is connected to this pandemic. 

Put simply, these are weird times for all. Just because you are unemployed and not the business owner, doesn’t make you less of an individual. Just because you are the business owner, doesn’t mean you have to wear the burden. There’s much that is of our control here. However, there is much that we all can be doing that is in our control. Collectively, we can all be a part of the solution here, leading society to a better place. A far better place than it was before, even amid our tainted reality of “wishing” that we could go back to a time prior to all of this existing.

It is fair to say that right now all of us are doing things that we have never done before.

·       Zooming with friends rather than meeting up in person

·       Working from home

·       Zooming for work meetings

·       Online schooling or zooming for school while at home

·       As a parent, you have quickly become a cosmetologist, chef, and schoolteacher around the clock

·       Spending more time with family and loved ones

·       Cooking in, rather than dining out

·       Using food delivery services an unprecedented amount

·       Avoiding going to the store

·       Reluctant to post on social media because of public perception, or hosting more often on social media because you have the time or simply just are not worried about what others think

·       Reading books rather than reading tabloids

·       Connecting with neighbors and loved ones on different levels

·       Walking and experiencing nature

·       Giving love and thanks to those around us, including essential workers

·       Reflecting on how sweet life is and how much we relish going out, even if it’s in the midst of strangers

·       Paying attention to health: dieting, exercise, prevention

·       Drive-by birthday celebrations

·       Board games, puzzles, game nights via social media

·       Caring for our pets and walking our dogs like never before

·       Saving money rather than spending money

·       Thinking about our economic future and worrying about our current financial circumstances

·       For some, praying more than ever before and getting in touch with their Lord and Savior

·       For some, professional working harder than they ever have

·       Working on your athletic skills and craft more than ever before or less than ever before

·       Watching music festivals online because you miss going to concerts so much

·       Accidentally, going to sports channels on TV only to find nothing in the form of “live” sports

This list of things was not to point out the bad in what people are currently doing a home. In fact, it was more to point out all of the good that is coming of this.

For nearly all of us, this is a time in human history that we would’ve never have wished for. But, it is our current reality. I find it funny that collectively we have all passed for “more time” to do ________________. For the vast majority of us that is our current circumstance, yet we are choosing to do nothing with it other than continue to regard our current circumstances as unfortunate and something we want to shy away from and close our eyes to. The reality is, is that when we do that we actually get further behind and farther away from where we want to be. So, what are we waiting for?

As we head into this new reality, in this forever changed world, how will we all change? Will we find the good in what is happening and in what we are doing currently? Will we implement those good things long into the future, indicative of our routine and our future habits? 

If we take the good out of this then in the future will we:

·       Constantly remind ourselves of the unfortunate nature of what it is like to live isolated and always acknowledge the present with others in the utmost importance of fashions.

·       Even though we need certain things to live, we will remind ourselves that people are far greater than things.

·       We will take the positive ways of communicating, that we have been communicating and staying connected during COVID-19, and apply those everyday mantras of living in the future.

·       We will find ways to socially be closer than ever before, rather than be socially distant, namely with our friends and family.

·       We will constantly remind ourselves to be prepared, rather than have to react when things like this happen.

·       We will re-organize our spending habits to put ourselves in a better financial way for when these things do happen.

·       We will find time to personally grow in the midst of our crazy routines (through self-reflection, reading, writing, expression).

·       We will jump all over the opportunity to complete projects rather than put them off because we are perceivably tired or have other things on our to-do list.

·       We will remind ourselves of what hard work really is. That means buckling down when things go wrong, rather than running away from the situation.

·       We will be more mindful. Choose to live, laugh, and love in the present moment, rather than let those moments slip away.

·       We will respect our neighbors.

·       We will find unique ways to celebrate each other’s birthdays and life days.

·       We will understand that every decision that we make has both a cause and an effect to ourselves, but namely to others.

·       We will figure out how to slow time down without time itself slowing down or having a pandemic be the reason for it.

·       We will be community-oriented individuals that gave before we receive.

·       We will think of others before we do even ourselves.

·       We will express our feelings to our loved ones before it’s too late.

·       We will cherish life more than we ever did before.

·       We will relish our routine more than ever before, knowing that if it were any other way we would find boredom, isolation, and stagnancy in anything but our routine that we have all chosen.

While this list of positive takeaways and direct influential actions that we can implement upon our return to our new “normal”, could actually be much longer than this, let’s not forget the big picture here. Like it or not, this has all happened for a reason. While each and every one of us is suffering in some particular way, who’s to say that we will not come out better from this? We all love to play the victim card when things do not go our way. However, are these blessings being given to us, rather than something far worse that could’ve happened to each of us? While this all seems very much out of our control, in terms of what is currently happening “to us,” why don’t we start focusing on why this has happened “for us?” While the circumstance of COVID-19 is not a direct reflection of our personal actions, where we are currently at, and what we are currently doing with our time, it is, in fact, a direct reflection of our choices. Yet, we choose to point the finger at everybody else in the midst of all this. Let’s remember that our previous routine and the way we lived was our choice. Much like it will be in the future.

One perspective that we can look at in the midst of all this is that things could be worse. We are all focusing on the things that we cannot do right now in the form of our routine, extracurriculars, entertainment, concerts, sports, but are we to think this way? There are people across the world that cannot think of doing those things otherwise. Thus, we must be grateful.

Remember, the two things in life that we can control are: how we feel about ourselves and how we act. The way that we act now and long into the future will leave a ripple effect for those around us. Each of us will be remembered by how we acted and what we did for others during this time rather than choosing to look away and do nothing to be a part of the solution. The unfortunate reality of the world that we live in is that if we are not part of the solution, then oftentimes we are then a part of the problem. The real problem that we are facing here is not COVID-19, itself, it’s many of our unwillingness to act accordingly during tough times. We do not prepare ourselves for what is to come in the future; good, bad, or indifferent. Thus, when these things continue to happen, we continue to act accordingly in a manner that sets us back rather than puts us ahead. For many of us, we are suffering from actional paralysis. As an analogy, it is much of the reason that we prepare for active shooters. So, when those situations arise we resolve back to our preparation, studying, protocols, and procedures. Have you set them particularly for yourself when these things happen?

So, how will we come out ahead?

Can we all put aside differences of whenever it might be and unite together on something that we are all capable of? Let’s love and respect one another in a manner where we’re understanding of what everybody is going through now, and into the future? We are all going through something different, whether it’s literally, emotionally, or mentally. Let’s build one another up in a fashion where we have no choice but to be positive about what is to come. Most importantly, let’s unite together to create the change that we want to see in the world. Together we are unbreakable. When we let mental isolation set in, we have a cause to breakdown. Thus, let’s approach the future with the “Mamba Mentality.” A relentless pursuit to be the best version of ourselves that we can be, the change that we want to see in the world, and a light in other people’s lives rather than their darkness.

PS: I hate to ruin the ending off of this current story, but everything is going to be OK. The sun will rise again tomorrow. Will you rise with it? BE PERFECT…

-         HAL JR.