It’s hump day – yay! That means only one more week until we hopefully move back up through the levels of lockdown.
I’m really grateful for the lessons that this lockdown has given me.
In NZ we have been a little isolated from the rest of the world & in all honesty, we had almost returned to a ‘normal’ life.
Deep down I had never thought an elimination strategy was possible& was dead set against it, however, because we’d had no community outbreaks for such a long time I had become complacent & forgotten that elimination isn’t possible & we were bound to get some recurrences.
So, this lockdown has really made me realise that this is the new ‘normal’ – in & out of lockdowns until there is a more permanent solution, such as a vaccine.
We can’t close the door to NZ forever & having a foolproof system is highly unlikely so there will continue to be outbreaks & lockdowns.
And that means that we have to learn how to get through them & change our businesses for the long term.
My last 3 tips are things that I think will help you personally rather than your business because as Business Owners & Leaders, we have to stay strong!
11. Ask for help
I know this seems like a no brainer however as Entrepreneurs, we tend to think that we should be capable of everything & anything & if we’re not then we’re a failure!
This can be really detrimental for us so I like to reposition it so that it makes me want to ask for help.
Think of this – When you help someone how does it make you feel?
You feel awesome right?
So why are you ripping people off & not allowing them to have that feeling???
Let someone feel awesome today by asking or them for help & who knows you might also get some value out of it! Tha’s what I call a WIN-WIN
12. Have gratitude
Yes it’s hard to be grateful for a lockdown & the effect it has on us personally & on our businesses, however, there are always good things to be grateful for.
- I’m grateful that I am not rushing around as madly as I used to be before Covid.
- I’m grateful that I have had a chance to revisit the things that are important to me.
- I’m grateful for my health & for being able to ride my bike in the most beautiful park each morning.
- I’m grateful that although I can’t celebrate my 50th birthday, I will actually get to the age of 50 – many people don’t.
- I’m grateful that whilst I can’t get married as planned, I have the most amazing fiancé & that we are in this together. And one day we will get married.
Sometimes it’s just the small things that you have to be grateful but in my experience, if you can recognise your gratitude for these things each morning & each evening, your world will start to become a better place.
I use the 5-minute journal – which you can use on your phone or as a physical journal.
“The Five Minute Journal App asks you three morning questions designed to instill gratitude, set purpose for your day, and create empowering beliefs. When you start your morning off on the right foot, days seem to go by smoother.”
The great thing about it for me is that it literally only 5 minutes so there can be no excuses!
Go on – give it a try – what’s the worst that can happen?
13. Keep your sense of humour
I think this is the biggest thing. If we can’t laugh at ourselves now then when can we?
Through doing the accompanying videos I am losing all my inhibitions about how I am ‘seen’ by other people.
On the weekend I even zoomed with my videographer in my PJs from my bed! It wasn’t my choice but as john rightly pointed out, I was in bed in my PJs so why pretend otherwise?
And so, in all my morning glory, with no makeup, bed hair & in my PJs, I had a video conversation with one of my suppliers – and Steve joined in!
And that’s one of the wonderful things about this lockdown isn’t it – we’re getting to learn about people’s home lives & that has to be a good thing.
I’ve also found that our monthly Friday drinks with clients, suppliers & friends have become a lot more precious. Getting together & sharing frustrations & funny stories seem more important than ever.
This won’t go on forever, and we’ve come a long way, but we’ve still got a long way to go, so let’s have some fun with it!
Which leads to my bonus…
BONUS TIP
For sticking me with & allowing me to share, I’ll share with you my bonus tip.
If you have to drink in the lockdown (something I won’t criticise you for!) then make sure you drink quality & drink local.
Rediscover your favourite NZ breweries, wineries or Kombucha makers & support them as much as you can. Shopping & supporting local businesses is key right now & if we have to be stuck at home drinking, let’s at least have some quality x
Ok – time to sign off, but please don’t think I don’t have a lot more I can share or help with.
Please don’t do this alone. If you are struggling or you just want someone to be a sounding board for your ideas, opportunities or challenges then please book a free session with me – I have some free time over the next week now that I don’t have a birthday or wedding to plan https://calendly.com/debra-chantry/15min Or visit www.bssv.org to get some free advice from one of our many professionals who have a wealth of experience in dealing with adversity.
And if you would like to get ongoing tips around business & life then please subscribe to our newsletter here – https://www.businesstraction.com/
