When it comes to your Big Vision for your work in the world, I’ve noticed that clients, colleagues, and friends are falling into two camps these days:
Camp 1: They’re stressed out, overwhelmed, and don’t have energy to do anything, but are trying to force themselves to be productive.
Camp 2: They really want to do something, but aren’t sure if it’s appropriate to do right now, so they’re holding back.
In both cases, the sticking point is usually that they think there is a right way to do, be, and act right now. By shutting down how they are naturally inclined to do and be, they start to feel stuck, uncomfortable, and in some cases more stressed out during an already stressful time.
If you are feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, stressed, anxious, depressed, or like you can’t accomplish what you usually accomplish in a day, that is totally normal. We are going through a collective trauma. Your whole being is going to be affected.
RESOURCE: The short, free Coursera class, Mind Control: Managing Your Mental Health During COVID-19 gave me a better understanding of what we’re all going through.
If you are feeling like you have products, services, classes, and content that you want to offer during this time, that’s great! You just need to keep in mind how the people you want to reach are feeling and what their most pressing needs are during right now.
RESOURCE: Hala Khouri’s webinar, How to Teach Yoga and Other Things During a Pandemic helped me understand what to keep in mind when working with people during this time. The recording is available for a sliding scale.
No matter how you spend your time during this strange period, it’s OK.
There’s no right answer.
No one, except if they are 100+ years old, has lived through a pandemic of this magnitude.
All you can do is:
• Take care of yourself. If you don’t feel well (whatever “well” means to you) recognize that it’s OK to not put yourself out there right now.
• Put yourself in other people’s shoes. Offer your best guess as to what might be helpful during this unprecedented time.
We’re all learning a new way to be. We’re going to make mistakes and that is more than OK.
April 23 & 24, I’m offering 45-minute, virtual, one-on-one Big Vision Cup of Tea Sessions at a sliding scale. Bring an idea, or challenge you’d like some thought partnership with and we’ll discuss it over tea (or whatever you like to drink!).
Photo by Mihajlo Horvat on Unsplash
I agree Britt. This is time when people are less distracted with work and social obligations, except for ZOOMing. It is time to test your idea. See what the reaction is, adjust a couple of times and either go with the idea and start a different. Each effort makes the next effort even better.