Corona Virus Be Damned

“When you’re going through hell, keep going.”
Winston Churchill

Wow.

Who would have thought even three months ago we would be in this mess. When I leave the house to go to the grocery store I feel like I’m stuck in a bad dream - people wearing face masks, grocery shelves cleared, food items rationed, businesses closed, once busy streets a ghost town.

If you are NOT being gripped by fear and feeling completely overwhelmed, depressed, stressed, anxious.. girl congratulations! You have a superpower greater than Clark Kent ever did!

If you’re like the other 99.9% who are gripped by fear and wondering when this madness will end, don’t worry.

It ends today. It’s time to conquer that fear. Here’s how:

• Keep Things In Perspective

  In America there have been 14,795 Corona Virus related deaths, 435,128 people have it and 22,891 people have recovered from it. We are a country of 330 MILLION. That means 0.0045% of the American population have died from this virus. Seriously.

  647,000 people die from heart disease - meaning one American dies every 37 seconds (source) Yet everywhere you turn there is a fast food restaurant. 640,000 people die every year of the common flu

  As of this exact minute there are less than 87,000 deaths reported WORLDWIDE from the Corona Virus. That's it.
  
  You can exhale now.

• Stop Watching The News And Restrict Social Media
  News outlets are having a field day - and they’re doing nothing but spreading fear like wildfire. The only way to remove yourself is to block it out. Be very selective what you let in. Skim headlines only if you want to find out the general gist of what’s happening. On social media tons of folks are freaking out (understandably). Spend much less time on it. Bottom line if it doesn’t uplift you then stay away.

• Create Your Own Little Happiness Bubble For You And Your Children
  Possibly for the first time ever - you have total control over who and what your children are exposed to. Protect them. Assure them and use this amazing gift of time to create memories with them. Start doing some of the things that you have been wishing you had time for - star gazing, finger painting, cooking classes, composing music, making tick tok videos, bedtime stories. We are truly given the gift of time with this pandemic. Use it wisely!

• See This As An Opportunity

  It was Albert Einstein who once famously said “in the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity.” Yes we very likely are going to be heading into a recession as soon as we’re all released from our homes. So what. What this means is that those who are good at their jobs, work hard and go the extra mile will THRIVE while the mediocre, uncommitted, lazy.. will struggle. There is ALWAYS a shortage of people who are great at what they do and truly care. If this is you then congrats - now will be your time to shine. And if it isn’t, then it needs to be. It will be your best form of job security during turbulent times. Many, many fortunes were made during the Great Depression - just take a read of this article from Fortune magazine and you’ll soon see that the difference between difficulty and opportunity is just perspective. I built my marketing agency in the middle of the recession - as a newly single mother with the nearest relative two continents away. Was it easy? Heck no. Was I determined to succeed? Absolutely. I had a brand new little person who was 100% reliant on me getting it together.
  
  Don’t let yourself fall into the trap of fear. It is an illusion. Take precautions to keep you and your family safe by all means but let’s not get paralyzed with anxiety. The best antidote for fear is action.
  a Take out your resume and start revising.
  b See if there are any online courses you can take that will help take your knowledge to the next level.
  c Research prospective clients.
  d Work on your marketing so when the world opens again - you’ll be ready to hit it full swing.
  e Look at the businesses who ARE thriving through COVID-19 and see what employment opportunities they have (there are surprisingly many - from online education and tutoring to working take out at restaurants and pool cleaning).

  Start looking for the positive, block the negative. This too shall pass! Just keep moving forward!