Let's Get ONE Done! (Part 3 of COVID series)

COVID has invaded our world, our country and now our city and state. Lives are being disrupted at an unprecedented rate. Uncertainty and fear abound. I recently posted articles on Taking Control and Going from Fear to Faith. In this 3rd part of the COVID series, I'd like to talk about Taking Action!

I've got a number of clients right now who are in the midst of making career change decisions. Their life was stressful enough before COVID hit. This extra layer of uncertainty could have put them over the edge but instead, they're choosing to take control and not let fear rule them.

This crisis has separated the workforce into those who are now overwhelmingly busy, such as healthcare and the grocery store employees, those who have been told to work from home, and a good percentage who have lost their jobs, hopefully temporarily, or are in fear of job loss.

This post is for those who find that they have extra time to ruminate on their situation, are caught in the web of fear, are watching too many news reports, etc. It's to help you get out of your own head and accomplish something in this historic time.

First, imagine that the crisis is over and you're looking back at the previous months. Your daily routine has been restored and you're asking yourself, "What did I accomplish in the past few months?" What do you want your answer to be? Are you going to be OK with a "nothing" or "I survived?" If not, let's see if I can help you to

1. Create a healthy diversion
2. Accomplish something significant
3. Help others

One of my top 5 StrengthsFinder traits is called Activator. I'm constantly asking, "Now what?" or "So what's next?" I deal with stress by getting busy. Not everyone is like that so if watching endless hours of TV is your stress release, go for it. Just do it on your terms and for a healthy reason. For the rest of you that embrace action, let's

Get busy!!

• Create a new vision: What's the ONE thing that you'd like to accomplish that will make you feel good now and into the future? Again, imagine that it's a few months or even years from now and you're looking back at this historic time. What's the story that you WANT to tell your kids, grandkids, etc.? Certainly, you want it to be one of survival. What else? If you have some discretionary time that you might not normally have, what would you be proud to have done with that time?
• Write it: When visioning, it's very helpful (there's a lot of psychology behind this method) to WRITE your future story in FIRST PERSON and PRESENT TENSE. For example, you could start it with, "It's November 1st, 2020 and I'd like to tell you about my COVID crisis experience. It was last March when the first Coronavirus invaded Cincinnati. We were all in the midst of preparation and it suddenly became very real. At first, there was a run on the grocery stores. I've never seen anything like it! Then, we were asked to self-quarantine, or at the least, limit trips out of the house." From there, go on to describe in DETAIL and with EMOTION, the experience that you CHOOSE to create. This is where you'll find that you can begin to TAKE CONTROL of the situation.

What does it mean to TAKE CONTROL when you seemly have so little control? Start by separating what you can control and what you can't. Get clear on that and try as hard as you can to not get wrapped up in what you can't control. Rather, focus on what you do have control over, mainly, YOUR THOUGHTS AND ACTIONS.

• Ask, "What Matters?" When writing your future story, it's imperative that you examine what really matters to you and those you love and care about, both now and into the future. You're not in this alone. Others may need you and you, them. Take a minute and ask yourself What Matters to Me, Now and Always? And then, What Matters to (fill in the blank), Now and Always? A time of change and uncertainty can be a wonderful gift. One of the "gifts of change" is often new clarity and insight into what really matters. When our health or the health of our loved ones is at stake, everything else can be seen with a new perspective. (This section of your future story is also a good opportunity to add some much-needed emotion into the story. Don't hesitate to be real and vulnerable. How do you feel? How do others feel?)

The What Matters question is especially important if your goal is to help others through this time of crisis. Think carefully through What Matters to them and weigh what you can do and what you can't do.

• Be OUTCOME focused: Describe the OUTCOME that you want to achieve as clearly as possible. One of my goals is to get a number of house projects DONE. Last week, I totally revamped my pantry which led to the cleaning out of a cabinet. Man, does it feel good to look at those organized shelves! This week, I talked my husband into helping me re-do our daughter's bedroom (by-by purple walls!) Be concrete and specific. Don't just settle for survival or wanting everything back to normal. Choose a project that matters and describe how it looks and feels to have accomplished it.
• Bridging to Action: Add this critical "bridge sentence" to your story....."Let me tell you how I/we got here." Continue on to detail the ACTIONS STEPS that you had* to take in order to accomplish your goal. Create a to-do list from this narrative.

*"Had to take... Stay in future tense and write your actions steps as if you're looking back at what action you took. This will help your brain to see details that it will surely miss if you write it in current tense.

• GET BUSY! Last Monday, I suggested to a client that she needed a project to keep her mind busy and not overwhelmed with COVID madness. By Friday, she'd decided to repaint and redecorate her son's bedroom. It hadn't been touched since he'd moved out of the house years before. She got busy, planned the project, ordered paint and fabric online and began. By next week, she plans to have the room repainted, furniture restored, and cushions recovered. All of this is within her means as she can do much of it herself. Her asset is TIME right now so she's investing that time into a project that will live on for many, many years. And, most importantly, will keep her busy and productive now.
• Evaluate your results: Does the final outcome match your vision? How satisfied are you with the result? If you could repeat the experience, what would you change? HOW DO YOU FEEL? Were you able to distract yourself in a healthy, productive way?
• REPEAT FOR THE NEXT PROJECT/INITIATIVE!

My challenge to you is to look into the future, take control, and DECIDE how you want it to be. Then, create a future story that will give you both the motivation and the method to intentionally move forward into the future that you choose. Focus on ONE thing to accomplish. And then the next, and the next, and the next.

If updating your LinkedIn profile, resume, or networking skills are on your Get ONE Done list, I'm offering a FREE phone/Zoom conversation to help you get started! Simply schedule here and I'll give you a call!

I wish you a safe journey through COVID-19 and one that is personally productive as well!

Peg Stookey

P.S. The next article in this series will address LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITY During a Time of Crisis. If you have questions or thoughts in advance, please comment on this posting so that I can include them in the next article.