Hurtling to the NEXT Normal!
“PAUSE” or “HURTLING”? The last 10 weeks have been many things, confusing, overwhelming, eye opening, heart breaking, feelings of helplessness and more. Initially for me, it felt like I was hurtling forward! So many questions and things to figure out… Will I get sick? What will I do if so? Have I already had it? Do I have enough food in the house? How is the rest of my family doing? Do I, should I or how will I change up my business? Where can I buy masks, gloves, hand sanitizer etc.? How many webinars or on-line classes can I sign up for? Which Zoom meeting is next? Should I get tested?
I know I am not alone in much of this.
After a couple of weeks, this pace felt exhausting! It felt like I was racing forward into something, everything, not knowing anything about what the future might look like.
I took a breath!
A blog called “Who do you want to be on June 1?” and one of those classes I signed up for, “The Science of Well -Being” (along with my exhaustion) helped me finally take a personal PAUSE!
I am usually a planner and someone that likes to have control. However, there is a lot about the current state of things that I cannot control and since no one really knows what the future will look like, it is very difficult to plan. I had to let go! I had to become comfortable with what might happen in future days and weeks versus months and years. I am blessed and grateful for being healthy, having a roof over my head and food to eat. I realized I also have the blessing of TIME. This time might be an opportunity to think about how I wanted to live my life going forward and act. They say disruption brings innovation. What would be the NEXT normal for me?
I don’t have it ALL figured out but here is what I have learned is important for me in the future:
1. Continue family Zoom calls and group text. We catch up, we laugh, we trade recipes, we celebrate and play games.
2. Continue to regularly connected with friends and colleagues whether by phone, FaceTime or Zoom.
3. Cook more and order in less.
4. Craft more! I will regularly block out time each week to spend on the many craft projects I have in one stage or another.
5. Less binge watching and more reading…so far, a little more reading but not much of a reduction in binge watching (I highly recommend Ozarks, Money Heist and Home Town)
6. Pivot HR Aligned Design to focus on more leadership, talent and organizational development. (Stay tuned for more about that – shameless plug!)
7. Strive for Time Affluence and creating more experiences.
8. Try yoga again!
9. Keep a gratitude journal – reflecting on what I am grateful for encourages a daily pause. It has also enabled me to incorporate #4.
10. Express my gratitude to others!
Hurtling: to move rapidly, forcefully. Some synonyms: racing, dashing, plunging, crashing. What will it look like to go back to an office? Dine out in a restaurant? Go on vacation? Get on a plane? Gather in large groups? Walk down the street without a mask? We are all trying to figure it out individually and together. We are now plunging forward with an urgent need to get back to normal.
As I figure all these things out, I’m stretching myself to stay true to what I have learned. Take time for your own personal PAUSE!
If we go back to “normal”, we will lose the opportunity this experience has presented to purposefully learn and evolve as we HURTLE into our NEXT NORMAL.
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