Covid 19 – Challenges and Silver Linings

Covid and Reflection Points:  What about You?

Spend a moment, two, or three to reflect and reminisce on what you were doing a year ago and fast forward to today.  Who could imagine the impact that Covid would have on us akk?  For me, last February, business was humming along, I presented at a Women’s church conference attended by 700 people, flew to Virginia to visit my best friend and her daughter who WAS getting married in April, went out to eat without thinking twice, and spent time with family any friends on a regular basis in public settings.

We all recognize and participated in the massive shift and abrupt change that Covid thrust upon us without abandon. The hardest thing for me to process is the level of pain and suffering by many impacted by this disease in one way shape or another.  As we know, some are still reeling from the effects and will for some time to come.  My heart goes out to people who lost a loved, lost a job, dealing with food insecurities, depression, anxiety, during the pandemic.

Regardless of all the challenges and hardships,  if you believe in “silver linings” there are many things to be thankful for, even though no one would choose to deal with this pandemic in the first place.

What were the biggest Covid related challenges  that you had to overcome, absorb, process and pivot in 2020 until now??

Spend a few minutes to think about and/or jot down these ideas.

SELF-REFLECTION:  My Story

We all have a personal story and experience with Covid. As mentioned, taking some time to reflect on what has happened and describe the impact this change and challenges have had on you, your work, and your life is the first place to start.  Remember, the best way to handle challenges is to take an inventory, assess the pluses and minuses and determine what you can control and actions you can take.  In addition, your attitude and thought control is important to consider.

For many people, working from home became the norm, not the exception unless your job required you to work onsite.  For me personally, working from home wasn’t a major shift, however, the amount of time working from home was (100%).  For an extrovert and someone who loves to make connections in the flesh, this was a BIG Shift to say the least.

One of the biggest challenges I had to face is that my business took a big hit, both project wise and financial.  I know that from a consulting and coaching point of view, I am not alone. Projects dried up overnight.  There were weeks when my schedule was booked only 10 to 20% of the time.  This made me rethink what I needed to do differently from a work, marketing and sales point of view.  Fortunately, this trend is slowly changing in 2021, but by no means back to pre-pandemic levels.  Even though this challenge is still on the table, I have been able to identify the many pluses that surfaced.

All meetings were conducted by some form of videoconferencing tool (e.g., Zoom).  Meetings by Zoom is the norm and once again, it’s not the ideal way to connect with people; however, it’s better than NOT seeing the person at all.  What I’ve heard from many people is that they are sick and tired of Zoom meetings that take place throughout the day.  What does this tell you?  People need real, in-person connection.  Now some say that Zoom and working remotely is great and they like it.  What’s hard for many to cope is that there’s no middle ground.  Perhaps that will change as restrictions begin to lift.

It’s hard not to feel isolated in this situation.  I felt very much aloneand thought there was nothing I could do to change this.  I also felt disconnected from clients, family and friends.  There were times when depression started to creep in and I became hyper-aware of this situation and made sure that it didn’t get the best of me.  What I learned that no one was exempt from this feeling of loneliness and isolation.

In December, my husband and I contracted Covid which put another damper on the already difficult situation.  Fortunately, our cases weren’t life-threatening, although fatigue, fever, brain fog hit us hard.  Even with Covid, we found the silver lining to that situation as well.

Now onto the positive / silver linings.  I believe that with the right attitude and perspective we have a choice to grow from the challenges that we face (big or small).  Outcomes of any challenge / situation will ALWAYS be determined based on how we respond.

It wasn’t easy, but it wasn’t bad either.  I had the advantage that I had been working from home for years.  The challenge became that it was 100% of the time.  I learned that even though you work from home, getting ready for work like you would if you were going to an office is important.  I made it a point to get dressed, put on makeup and wear shoes.  By making this a habit, I feel equipped mentally and emotionally to tackle tasks with more energy and focus.  This sounds simple and it is, but it takes effort and intentionality.

Initially, this was very hard for me to cope with the fact that my work dried up and I was no longer getting work through referrals.  In July 2020, I decided to be proactive and promote my business and my services.  This is where the silver lining comes in.  I reached out to a few marketing firms and chose one to help me with my website which was a total revamp.  I was stretched way beyond my comfort zone.  Brian Basilico, from B2B Marketing did a great job in helping me put this together in a short amount of time.  i wrote a lot of the content and I began writing regular blogs.  I fell out of the routine in 2021 with blog writing, and now my focus in getting back on track. My next “out of comfort zone activity: is to create and post Video Content online.  If business were to keep going as it did in 2019, I don’t think I would have jumped into social media or redo my website.  I also learned that you don’t grow your business by websites alone.  Plus, one needs to be very proactive in reaching out to people on a regular and consistent basis through networking avenues.

I learned a lot about zoom and how to facilitate virtual training sessions.  I took classes on zoom and virtual, online training.  I believe that Zoom and other formats are effective, HOWEVER (a BIG BUT) is that you must make the sessions interactive, fast-paced and fun.  You must also continue to uncover and understand the needs of your audience.  Finally, virtual sessions must be delivered in short and to-the-point sessions.  People have a hard time on staying focused and engaged.  The virtual environment is very different from in-person.

Isolation was difficult to overcome.  Thankfully with the vaccine coming on board and more people feeling comfortable to be in public settings, this is changing.  My gratitude and appreciation for what we took for granted in terms of being in person will not be overlooked in the future.  I was very intentional on who I kept in contact with.  There were a few bright spots along the way in terms of learning how to play euchre online, virtual gatherings, dinners, etc.

Virtual networking and meeting people on the Zoom format was fantastic.  I still participate in virtual networking activities; however, what I found difficult was to stick with it and make sure you spend the time to follow-up with people you meet.  I also learned that when it comes to networking, whether it be in person or virtual, it’s important to be intentional with asking for help with leads, people to talk with while giving as much as you receive.  Networking is so much about reciprocity. I tend to give way more then I receive so to keep that in mind is important.

What’s the sliver lining for getting sick with Covid?  I suppose one could say that “been there, done that” is in store.  Plus, it’s made me appreciate once again how difficult this season has been for many and not to take anything for granted.

During this pandemic, I was able to take virtual Zumba dance classes which was a life saver.  I also decided to become a Zumba Instructor and start teaching classes this summer which I’m excited about.

NOW – It’s your turn to tune into the silver linings.  For each challenge or change, what was the positive that came out of the situation?  If you can’t find one, that’s OK but it’s important to stay on the positive side as much as possible.