It’s Time to Hit the “Play” Button

For the last year and a half, we have hunkered down, trying to weather the various storms of a pandemic, political divisiveness, racial unrest, increasing anxiety, and the like.?We keep waiting for things to go back to "normal," and some of us may be really tired of the "new normal" phrase (and reality).

The fact is that there is always a new normal; it just doesn't usually get thrown in our faces.?It's a bit like seeing your nephew after six months and realizing he grew 7 inches, rather than seeing him every day, not noticing the growth.?

COVID, politics, racial tension, and anxiety provided an immediate, stark contrast to our world.?None of us were prepared, and quite frankly, we were in shock for a while.

As a result, we've been on pause, pause, pause.?React, react, react.?Families have put off vacations.?School looks different.?Companies have put off this project and that initiative.?Everyone is waiting for .... what??

Things will never go back the way they were (and in some ways shouldn't).?We can't pick up where we left off.?Life is different.

You can't stay in pause mode forever. How do you adapt to the world today??And the changing world tomorrow??

I heard someone say that 2021 was a shapeless year.?That resonates with me deeply.?Well, it's time to give 2022 some structure.

While we mourn what we have lost, shift to proactive mode and get out of react mode.?What do you want to create this year? What plans are ready to be set in motion??

Knowing deeply that life is ever-changing, whether at a slow or fast speed, do your best to take stock of things as they are now, plan for different, and put those plans into action.?

Will it ever be perfect? No, because of that ever-changing aspect of life.?But doing nothing and continuing to be in neutral doesn’t get you very far.

Let's take our fingers off the pause button and hit play.?

Dawn Shuler is the CEO and Founder of The Shuler Group. Dawn and her fellow consultants help organizations create sustainability and profitability by focusing on people, processes, and performance.