Surviving Crises

I see a lot of people writing about the challenges they face because of the Corona crisis. Many have lost jobs. Others have had their salaries reduced. Still more are living in a state of uncertainty as to the steadiness of their jobs. So there is anxiety everywhere. Depression is on the rise. Too many cannot cope.

I am the co-founder of a school for youngsters with Autism. Challenges aren’t new. Having trouble raising funds for an organization that showcases strengths in order to garner respect instead of going after sympathy, is also not new. Yes this is a time of crisis but as long as I can remember, life as I knew it, was never exactly easy.

This brings me to the point I’m trying to make. I find the lack of money and the uncertainty in our future, manageable. Why? Because I have been living with that for more than a decade now.

If you are or are married to an entrepreneur, you know what I’m talking about. Dinner conversations are never about who married whom or which movie to watch – it’s always about what is the best way to market, products vs services, how to leverage any crisis situation and mine it for opportunities. I’m married to someone who is passionate about being his own boss. I doubt if I would find it easy to work for someone other than myself too ;)

When you have the spirit of the trailblazer in you, there are many things you have to do without. There is never enough money. Your house will need repairs and you live with not being able to do it. There is never money that you can count on to come on time – be it products or services, people pay as late as they can which means you really don’t know when you can pay that premium. There are trips you can never make, promises you dare not give and disappointments that you have to pass on to your children who never asked for any of this. But that is the life of someone who works for themselves. It teaches you lessons that not only help you but also your children to be stronger than you believe you can be. It isn’t easy at all. And it builds an interesting trait – resilience. Which helps you overcome.

Resilience is important on so many levels. I not only run a school for autism, I have a teenage son who has autism as well, but I manage. I have to raise funds for a cause that is a life mission while worrying about how to pay some really big bills but I can manage. I know I have no answers to most of the questions that plague me, including – why the hell does it have to be such a struggle when I did all the 'right things' – but you know what, I can still move ahead. That is resilience – the quality that keeps you from giving up. I learnt it the hard way.

In this current climate, every individual and every organization needs to cultivate resilience. It calls for a change in attitude. It calls for thinking completely outside the box when you find yourself beset with dead ends. It calls for belief in a good day sometime in the future. Also it helps if we don’t take ourselves too seriously. Life goes on. Breathe. Tough it out. And smile – at the cat, at your child, at the sheer beauty of the rain. Be resilient.