By Christina Greenberg
BY CHRISTINA GREENBERG
3 Steps for Assessing How You’re Doing
“We are all on the same ocean but not on the same boat.”
I’ve recently heard this analogy with the consequences of COVID-19. Some people find themselves on comfortable luxury boats, barely feeling the disruption in the waters far below. Others find themselves on a life raft, being whipped around by treacherous waves, desperately holding on for dear life.
Whatever boat you find yourself in today, I want to take a moment to honor your unique challenges.
Honour your Unique Challenges and Opportunities
If you’re willing, I’d like to take a moment to honor your unique opportunities, too. In this unprecedented moment of time, COVID-19 had forced us to radically change our lifestyles. Nothing looks like it did before.
In my world, some of these changes are hard & challenging: Loss of income, too-tight quarters with my family, and uncertainty about what will happen next.
Other changes, however, have found me surprisingly delighted. I’m finally doing things I’ve always thought about, like bringing my offerings online. I’m cooking more food at home again & my family is enjoying having regular meals together. I find myself appreciating the simpler things in life, which brings me a calmness inside that was elusive before this crisis.
All of these changes have been forced upon me, but some do not work well for me while others, surprisingly, do work well for me. I find myself thinking: Maybe I will keep some of these changes after quarantine.
How about you? Are there new habits you’ve been forced to pick up during COVID-19 that you actually appreciate?
And what are the ones that you’ll kick to the curb as soon as life goes back to “the new normal”?
We’ll explore your answer in 3 steps:
What’s Working Well for You During Quarantine? (And What Isn’t?)
Step One:
List ALL the new changes you’re experiencing during quarantine.
For example, my list looks like this:
- Lower income
- Everyone at home all the time
- Not enough office space
- Cooking many more meals at home
- Regular meal times with family
- Appreciating the simple things
- Children have less scheduled activities
- Doing more meetings on Zoom
- More productivity working at home
Step Two:
Identify the changes you want to LOSE after quarantine ends.
For example, mine would look like this:
- Lower income
- Everyone at home all the time
- Not enough office space
Step Three:
Identify the changes you want to KEEP after quarantine ends.
For example…
- Cooking many more meals at home
- Regular meal times with family
- Appreciating the simple things
- Children have less scheduled activities
- Doing more meetings on Zoom
- More productivity working at home
Even in a time of forced change, we can build awareness about what does and does not work well for us. For now, we’re just doing that: Building awareness.
Next month, I’ll invite you to look at these lists and decide what exactly you will put back into your “new normal” life after quarantine.
How will you build your awareness of what you like and don’t like so that you are prepared to put the puzzle pieces back in place when it’s time?
About the Author: Christina Greenberg
