How has the COVID crisis and social distancing affected you? Have you discovered anything new about yourself…the good, the bad and the ugly maybe?
For me, this time apart has offered me new insights about my life and work. When everything began, I was concerned about my business. But, I quickly realized that this was an opportunity to redesign my work. This is not the first time I’ve gone through a major life renovation.
I lost my husband to cancer a decade ago, which happened to correspond with the financial market crash. This was a very trying time for me both personally and financially. Many people today are similarly facing challenges in multiple areas of their lives (health, financial, social). Yet, I believe our greatest challenges provide opportunities for our greatest growth. And, boy is this one doozy of a growth opportunity!
I discuss these challenges in-depth in my memoir, Love Will Keep Us Alive. I also discuss how I worked through this difficult period and the strategies I undertook to overcome these challenges.
There are four main strategies I used then that are helping me thrive today.
First, I began cultivating a positive mindset to help sooth and alleviate my own suffering, and to move into creative solution mode. This has become the cornerstone of my work and a critical approach to help me move forward during tough times.
Then, I focused on self-awareness and self-discovery to uncover new possibilities for my career, business and life. This required a look at what I deeply valued and my unique strengths to come up with a new vision. Doing this again at this time has helped me to uncover wonderful new opportunities that I hadn’t seen before.
Thirdly, I gathered around me my community to share wisdom, inspiration and support. In this current situation, that has meant connecting family more regularly, and few close friends for moral support. I have also tried to offer my clients support in the form of free guidance and resources, online gatherings, as well as low-cost programs.
Finally, I identified practical steps to quickly overcome the challenges I was facing, and to realize a new vision. Over the past couple of months, I have never been busier. I’m riding the tsunami of change by bringing new programs and solutions to my clients at record speed.
Please let us know what you think!