Recently, a good friend asked me a very powerful question.
“What has been great about the pandemic?”
That stopped me in my tracks. I could only think of the many terrible things that had happened because of the pandemic. I had friends who died. Many people I know lost family members. Almost overnight we had to completely change the model for our business. Several of my friends struggled mightily to keep their businesses afloat. A lot of folks I know felt overwhelmed with stress and anxiety, me included. Unfortunately, the list goes on.
What was great? Where was the silver lining? I thought about it for several moments, but then a glimmer appeared. Zoom was relatively unknown before the pandemic. Now, I spend several hours a day “zooming” around the world. I can chat with clients in India and Vietnam in the morning. Work on a project with associates in Canada in the midafternoon. And have a planning meeting with my business partners in New Zealand in the evening.
I have also gained several good friends around the globe that I might never have known if I had not had the time to connect with them through LinkedIn. I did not see my neighbors for months, but I talked weekly to my new friends in London, Moscow, Mumbai and Mexico. We shared stories. I met their families. We had meals together during our zoom calls. We have gotten to know each other deeply and formed a true bond of friendship and trust. I do not believe this would ever have happened had it not been for the pandemic.
In great measure, the world is not as it is but how we see it. Our perception creates our reality. Like many of us, I focused on the negatives of the pandemic; politics, the economy, and other issues. Because I was looking to confirm how bad everything was, I saw everything badly. When I changed my point of view, things started to look different. There are still troubles and difficulties but also gifts and opportunities. I could complain loudly about how unfair things are, but that wouldn’t change anything. One of the keys to living a happy life is understanding the things you cannot control and letting go of them. Then turn your attention to the things you can control and take massive control of those.
So let me finish with a question. What has been great about the pandemic for you?
Written by John Spence