7 things you can be doing during a Pandemic like the #Coronavirus

Everywhere I look right now, I see problems. Some people are going out of business, others are losing their jobs, others are getting sick, and others are dying. 

The news is having a field day with reports, and people are stuck at home with their kids because schools are closed. 

Grocery stores are low on supplies, hospitals are low on supplies - even blood banks are low on supplies. 

The stock market is tanking, and people are losing all of their financial security. Especially people that are getting ready to retire. 

All of this causes unprecedented amounts of stress and anxiety. 

So, what can you do? 

Here is what I have to say about this after working on myself for several years, and learning how to live a life of purpose and meaning so I can support others who want to do the same. 

1. Take care of your MIND: This means that you need to guard your attention and focus right now more than ever. It's easy to focus on what is going wrong. Why? 'Cause that is what everyone is talking about frequently these days. Even people who are usually positive are stressing and focusing on the doom and gloom of this situation. This is rightfully so, because they are losing a lot right now. The only thing you can really control right now is HOW YOU THINK and HOW YOU FEEL. Your mind will get you out of this. Read Viktor Frankel's book about how he survived the holocaust. It all boiled down to his attention and focus on MEANING. He needed to take himself out of the situation mentally, and he was able to do that. The people who were not able to control their focus and mind did not survive. ACTION ITEM: Instead of reading the news, READ A BOOK. Instead of watching the feed on social media, FEED YOURSELF POSITIVE MESSAGES, Watch “The Secret” on Netflix. Read "Think and Grow Rich" again and take notes. These will get your mind off of what is going on and help you focus on growing instead of dying.
2. Take care of your BODY: Right now, most GYMS are closed, and people are just sitting around. You will get mentally and emotionally stressed if you are not working out. You must break a sweat, especially during this time of WAR. You also want to get healthier, because if the virus DOES hit you, you want to be in the position to fight it off. Personally, I realized that exercise helps me with the day-to-day stress of being a CEO, and the more stress I have, the more I need to work out. ACTION ITEM: Go for a LONG WALK and stay 6 feet away from other people. Do some push ups each day. Go for a run and break a sweat. Do jumping jacks and get your heart rate up every hour. Stretch and get out of your comfort zone so that you are not just a couch potato that feels lethargic. Do some YOGA with your family. Now is the best time to do those. 
3. Start being more Social: Yes, social distancing will curb the virus, and you should be in isolation right now. But, with TECHNOLOGY, you can be more social than ever. Learn to use WhatsApp, Zoom, Uberconference, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. Greet groups of people and lead discussions in your community. I know a CEO coach that is having Crisis Town Hall meetings every day. Why? Because he wants to be a resource for his clients, and now is the time when people need support. Usually, I tell people not to randomly ask others how they are doing, but now is a GREAT TIME to ask people how they are doing. Reach out to EVERY CONTACT you have ever contacted and ask them if they are safe and sound. THIS IS THE TIME to rekindle relationships and let people know that you care about them. ACTION ITEM: Make a list of 150 people that you would want to be in contact with at least once a week during this pandemic. This is a great test to see who are the people that REALLY mean something to you. Call them on their cell phone and let them know that you care, TEXT THEM, send them custom messages not a general message but add your own touch of personalization and show them that you are not MASS TEXTING but you are taking the time to really show you really care. My goal is to call every client that did business with me in all my companies by the end of the week. 
4. Focus on Gratitude: It's really hard to think about all the things that we are grateful for. But, when we focus on gratitude, we have more energy. Can you think of the things that you appreciate right now? Can you really find things that are working for you today? Maybe not right now, but if you really think about the little things in life that matter, you will be able to have a better day. Your state can change in a moment if you change your expectations to appreciation. ACTION ITEM: Start journaling at least three things that you are grateful for each day. Do this right when you wake up, and you will train yourself to start looking out for those things. Think about the people in your life that you appreciate. What do you love about them? Think about the skills that you have that you are proud of and focus on them. Think about the events in the past 3 decades that really stand out as moments that you will never forget, moments that bring you joy. Focus on those moments and go back to those moments. You will see that your state will change and you will feel more at peace. This will allow you to be more present for other people. 
5. Prepare for the Future: The best thing that you can do right now is have a PLAN. If you fail to PLAN, you will be super stressed out. Write down worst case scenarios and what you will do about it. Think of contingencies if you literally LOSE EVERYTHING. You might think that it's counter-productive to have a plan, but let me tell you a little secret. Once you get a plan on PAPER, you will feel much better. Even if it's not a good plan, it's still a PLAN and you will KNOW WHAT you need to do. Let's say you need a job. Write down your goal and what you will do about it. You may not be able to take action on that plan right now, but having a plan is STEP ONE, because there will be a time in your life where you will be able to take action and at that point, you will not have time to plan. So PLAN NOW. ACTION ITEM. Find someone strategic in your life and make time with them to write down your goals, and your specific priorities and action steps for you to make those goals a reality. They could be goals in your personal finance, goals in your health, or goals in your relationship. No matter what you want to achieve, you can do it, if you have a plan. 
6. Look for the Opportunity: Right now there are massive opportunities that are going to open up as a result of this pandemic. Yes, there might be a 20% unemployment rate, but what is the opportunity here? Yes, the stock market might be 50% down, but what is the opportunity here? Yes, restaurants, gyms, bars and movie theaters are closed but WHAT IS THE OPPORTUNITY here? Right now there are opportunities that very few people can see. Why? Because stress does not allow us to see opportunities. Getting out of stress will allow us to think of ways that we can use our SKILLS and EXPERIENCES to actually capitalize on this situation that we are in. You can turn LEMONS into LEMONADE right now if you have the bandwidth to SQUEEZE hard. Cause let me tell you, LEMONS ARE RAINING FROM THE HEAVENS right now. Looks like it's a war out there and all hell is breaking loose. Let me ask you a question, do you know how to create FACE MASKS? Why do I ask? Because there is a MAJOR SHORTAGE of masks in hospitals. Do you know how to facilitate meetings and lead people into conversations that are productive? People are going to need that more than ever at this time. There are massive opportunities in almost every industry, and if you can find them, you will be able to thrive now. ACTION ITEM: Ask yourself what the opportunity is right now, over and over. Start a group of people that are looking for opportunities right now, and BRAINSTORM with the group. You can do this virtually. Take stock of the skills you have, of the experiences you have, and write them down. Think of everything you can use to add VALUE to the current market. Use your time off to THINK and produce something of value for people. TEST IT OUT and see if it works. 
7. Dare to Dream: There has never been a better time for you to completely CHANGE who you are and what you do. You can use this time to change everything about yourself - especially if you are hitting rock bottom and lost everything now. Hopefully, you are ok and you do not have to RESTART but you can still DARE TO DREAM. What would life be like if you can erase everything that you have in your life and RESTART from scratch? What would you be doing if you can't DO ANYTHING AT ALL? If you can learn any skill, live in any location, and do anything at all, what would you be doing? ACTION ITEM: Now that you are by yourself, take the time to DREAM each day and think about who you are, who you want to be, what you want to do with your life. Instead of getting distracted, meditate on this question, “What do I really want out of life?” If you can have ANYTHING at all in life, what would you want to create for yourself? You are a powerful being that can CREATE something from NOTHING At all. So, do not stress yourself out. Instead, create something beautiful for yourself.  

Of course, remember to WASH YOUR HANDS, avoid crowds, and stay away from people. Do not hug anyone, do not touch things, and drink lots of water. Be safe, be positive, and I'll see you on the other side. We will make it out of this - stronger and more prepared for the next wave of craziness. 

Please let me know what you are doing now that you have isolation time? What are the opportunities that you see? Let me know in the comments below. Would love to hear from you. 

BOOM

Joe Apfelbaum

Ajax Union

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