Coping is not for me!

We are in a time of unprecedented (a word that is becoming over-used) change! Our economy, our sense of safety, our work, our relationships, how we play, all of it undergoing a great deal of change.  In addition, due to the enforced closeness, we are now thrown together in ways and for durations not normal in our experience.  For many, this is a strange new world, and it is likely that many of the changes we are experiencing will continue to be with us after the closures are finished!

A common question I am getting from others during all of this is “how are you coping?”  Like everyone else, I’ve taken a big hit in my business, as well as financially, and I have struggled to reorganize my priorities to accommodate circumstances over which I have little control.  But actually, I am doing three simple things, all decisions that anyone can make, to advance my life:

1. I am growing, learning, connecting, reflecting, and changing things in my life that no longer work, and savoring the relationships and things that do work.
2. I am treating this time as a gift. This shutdown is obviously a challenge for us all, and we are all getting tired of it. But for me it has also been a time for recalibrating what I will do with myself in the next few years. It has caused a realization that I have many choices available, and many opportunities to explore. (Why it took a pandemic for me to appreciate that I will never know!) 
3. I am learning every day, and will continue to change myself as the world around me changes. In the past few weeks, I have done many things that I have never done before…all good!  I am eating differently, sleeping differently, working differently and on different things, and connecting in ways, better ways, with my friends. 

I know that I will never waste a precious second “coping".  Some will choose to use these changes as an opportunity, and some will see this as a tragedy. I choose opportunity.

• In over 50 years of working with leaders and staff, I've met many kind souls who care deeply about life, but do not want to sacrifice any amount of security for adventure. They seem to pine for excitement, but do not take initiative to create that in their lives. No judgment. Just blessings to them for the kind souls that they are.