The Key: What Matters to You?
What *Should* You Do During a Global Pandemic?
“You can’t choose what emotion you’re going to feel in the moment, but you can choose what you’re going to do when you feel it.” ~ Gary Zukav
There’s a ton emotionally fuelled conversation out there about how we should “be” in this pandemic. First we have the “The Do all The Things People” (the ones seeking order by baking break, making things, and homeschooling while sculpting abs of steel). Second we have the “You Don’t Have to do Any of the Things People” (those advocating doing whatever you want to just get through this upheaval and uncertainty). What are you focusing on during this pandemic? What others are doing? What you are doing?
Feelings Check-in:
We can’t deny that these are somewhat dramatic times, and people are feeling their feelings. How many of these feelings have you experienced in the last 5 weeks?
Check all that apply…
(Note, I’ve hit on each one of these feelings at least once).
- Anger
- Gratitude
- Guilt
- Capable
- Grief
- Entitled
- Aimless
- Worthy
- Righteous
- Purpose Driven
- Judgment
- Motivated
- Defensive
- Joy
- Overwhelmed
- Focused
- Unworthiness
To be clear, there is no correct way to experience something. Of course you have your own story, and no one else is going through this with your specific mix of skills, challenges, struggles, joy, history, and desires. But I don’t think that this is the time to relax into “you do you”, and I hope you will want to join me and aim a little higher.
It’s normal to have trouble focusing during a pandemic, but this is what has been helping me. This is the thought I’ve been holding onto that’s been helping me feel more grounded and driven to keep going on those days when I need it…
Hear me out, I’m not just throwing around a Melania #BeBest meme.
My Chosen Pandemic Focus Logic
Think of the people in power tasked with trying to keep things running as well as possible, the healthcare workers trying to keep people alive, the scientists working to find a cure and develop a vaccine, I want all of them aiming high. I want them to wake up each day and decide that they are going to try their best to do all that they can. I’m also hoping that front line workers and essential service providers make that decision.
And if I expect our leaders, front line, and essential services workers to try to bring their best every single day, I 100% need to expect the same of myself. This is why I hope you will join me and try to expect this of yourself. I believe that the more of us that ask ourselves what we could do each day, the faster we will get to the other side of this.
No One Size Fits All
Of course, this is going to look different for different people on different days. We’re dealing with some big things here and some days will be tougher than others. Maybe some days bringing your best just means taking care of yourself. Maybe some days it just means finding a reserve of strength to reach out to someone who needs it. But maybe on other days, it means doing something you didn’t even know you were capable of.
With my purpose, how I’m focusing during a pandemic, it isn’t about “Doing All of the Things” or “Just Getting Through This”, it’s about what’s possible and what I am capable of. And it’s about aligning my efforts with who I want to be and how I want to show up. If I catch myself judging others or justifying my behaviour it means I’m doing it wrong. And just because we are living in dramatic times, it doesn’t mean that we get to be the judges and the justified pointing at the sinners and the saints. The hyperbole is entirely unnecessary.
So how do you want to show up? What can you do today?
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