After a meeting in Denver a couple of weeks ago, I took a flight back home to Canada and immediately went into self-imposed isolation. I went into my alone time with a gung-ho attitude and made lists of everything I would like to accomplish. I was ready!
My birthday was a few days into my isolation period, so my daughter and grandsons left a beautiful Black Forest cake on my doorstep. As I smiled and waved at them through my front-door window, I noticed the youngest’s eyes filled with tears.
It broke my heart.
When I was growing up, we were constantly bombarded with the threat of nuclear war — but we still went to school, played with our friends, and visited our relatives. As I looked at my grandson, the enormity of our current situation hit me and I felt his sense of unease about the future.
I know you’re used to receiving emails from me about how to boost your confidence and your business. But right now, I’m focused on ways I can support you. The truth is, none of us know what will happen next. But what I do know is that this current moment isn’t about discovering new and better ways to make money. It’s not about opportunities to build our brands. It’s about the preciousness of life.
So I’d like to ask you: How are you coping with this period of isolation? Through my work, I’ve learned that most of us can be broken into two groups — those who crave certainty and those who thrive on variety. With that in mind, here are a couple of tips to help you stay positive.
If you feel like your world is heading out of control
The only thing we can change in this moment is ourselves. If you’re missing the order and routine of your pre-coronavirus existence, create new rituals!
I’m using this time to introduce habits that will serve me long after the danger from this illness has passed. I’ll be perfectly honest: It has been a bit difficult to create a lock-down routine and stick with it. But if there has been a blessing from all of this, it’s the gift of time. I get up every morning and recommit to my plan for setting improved standards.
Maybe you never had time for breakfast before, or maybe your sleep hygiene hasn’t been up to par. This is your chance to practice self-care while introducing order.
If you are climbing the walls
Make a list of things you want to try, write them down on slips of paper, put them in a bowl and pull one out every time you feel unsettled. I have been re-learning the Rubik’s cube — something I used to be able to do in my sleep — and trust me, that occupies plenty of time. I also mastered this cups routine. Now, I’m tackling some choreography! I’ve also been planting spring greens, a gentle reminder that life continues to grow and thrive.
Take care. Be gentle with yourself. (I’m refusing to beat myself up for eating that Black Forest cake by myself.) Please reach out if you need help. We’ll pull through this together and be wiser for it.