This is life. This is not a holiday

5am - As I tapped my Apple Watch to turn off my alarm I found myself snuggling further under the duvet. The conversation that was going on inside my head was a real battle, and needless to say, my inner chimp won the day. I don't have anything important to do today that can't wait until later. I really don't need to get up right now. My daily routine can wait a few hours.

At 7.50 am, I dragged myself out of bed, and rather than writing my journal, doing 10 minutes meditation and then going for a walk, I spent the next hour on Facebook scrolling through the newsfeed, watching YouTube and TikTok videos. Last week I was very focused but this morning the sense of urgency was gone.

9 am - time to get showered, dressed and focused on the day ahead. I created my to-do list for the day, but I had no motivation to do any of the things on the list, so I made the decision to go for a walk, listen to a podcast and perhaps reignite some enthusiasm for the day ahead.

The sun was shining, the birds were singing away and I plugged in my AirPods. I use the Overcast Application for my podcasts, but I really wasn't in the mood for an enthusiastic Gary Vee show or even the positiveness of some of my hiking/adventure podcasts. Then I spotted a new episode of "Content Inc" by Joe Pulizzi. I was a huge fan of Joe until he decided to take some time out from the social media and online marketing world in 2017. He has not published a podcast since then, but here I was seeing a new episode in my feed from someone that had taught me things in the past and someone that I had a lot of respect for. He had actually released two episodes so I enthusiastically hit the play button and it was exactly what I needed to hear.

The message from Joe was loud and clear. When we come out of this, we will be living in a completely different world. Things will not be the same and we need to learn to adapt. My key takeaways were:-

• Now is the time to be creative, innovative and embrace change.
• Now is the time to work hard and keep your content going.
• We are not on a holiday, we need routine, we need to keep busy. It is ok to clear out the garage, sort out the loft, but try and leave that for the weekends and evenings. Work on your business strategies for the future.
• Be consistent. Show up. Be present online. Show your expertise in what you do so that you will be top of mind for your industry when things start to turn around.
• Now is the time to invest in self-development. Make an effort to learn something new every day. Read books, take an online course, learn a language, listen to podcasts, take up Yoga or meditation.
• Limit your time on social media sites.

As the little lightbulb went off in my head I realised what I needed to do. I had been ignoring the signs for the last few weeks. It is time for me to up my game as I want to survive this tough time stronger than I have ever been before. So, I made a new set of goals for the next three months, which started with writing an article on LinkedIn (which you are reading now).

Joe P will never read this article, but I just wanted to say thanks for giving me the kick up the rear end that I so very much needed.