5 Things I've learned about dealing with trauma and running a business during a pandemic.

Taking all the changes in stride, I took a moment to reflect on the lessons I've lived and learned during the pandemic. Do you agree/disagree with these? Anything you would add? Stay well my friends.

1. HEALTH & WELL-BEING ARE PRIORITY #1 - ALWAYS

Beyond washing hands, distancing, and wearing a mask - focus on your overall health, constantly audit your energy level, your state of mind and look for unseen emotional stressors.

2. FEEL EVERYTHING, THEN LET IT GO

Acknowledging rising thoughts and feelings as they come is key to keeping a balanced state of mind and heart.

Ignoring how you’re feeling and neglecting to download and process emotional messages feels like anxiety and suffocation.

3. LOOK FOR THE GIFTS

Your thoughts become your reality. What if everything you’re experiencing has a bigger meaning? What if you could use this time of uncertainty to become who you are truly meant to be?

Think of how your life has changed over the last six months, what have you learned?

The world has forced us to slow down and take a hard look at ourselves - maybe that’s not such a bad thing.

4. PIVOT YOUR MIND, NOT YOUR BUSINESS

Does your business model really need to change, or do you just need a new delivery method and new marketing plan?

Changing your life’s work at the drop of a hat is a daunting task that shouldn’t be taken lightly, or done as a result of fear. 

Before you decide to jump ship or completely change to a new game, ask yourself these 3 things: 1) What evidence do I have that my business will fail and not recover? 2) If I choose a new path, how long will it take me to start again, and how much will it cost? 3) Will I still be doing this new “thing” post-pandemic, and do I have a plan for how to sustain it?

5. BECOME A SPRINTER - FOR NOW

Usually the saying goes, “Entrepreneurship is a marathon, not a sprint”, but in a pandemic economy you most definitely must learn to sprint.

Variables are changing almost weekly; what’s open, what’s not, new outbreak hotspots, threats of second waves, social and political unrest abounds. 

You must learn to seize opportunities as they come (or better yet, create them yourself), fulfill them, then plan for the next move - always prioritizing rest in between to preserve balance.