I promise you, I’m not sugar coating this situation with the title of this newsletter. I know how hard and exhausting the last two years have been for so many people. Many of us have lost loved ones (I lost my uncle) and jobs, businesses and relationships. Many students feel they lost meaningful moments such as graduations and proms. Millions have experienced mental health challenges and are struggling with finding their way forward.
It has been a very emotional and challenging time and yet when I ask people if something positive came from the pandemic almost everyone says, YES.
The other day while giving a keynote to education leaders I asked the audience what they learned about themselves during the pandemic. A woman stood up and said, "I learned I was stronger than I thought. I was more resilient than I knew." People shared how they adapted, innovated, reinvented, grew, and are now stronger because of the adversity they faced. Adversity is a university, and it is a great teacher and developer.
For me personally, I wouldn't say I grew stronger. I would say I became more faithful, loving, compassionate and relationship focused. I cried several times for the loss of life, the challenges and pain my son was experiencing and even wept when our cat died, and I don't even like cats. :) I'm a dog lover. Funny thing is each time one of our cats die another rescue cat comes into our lives. I've learned to embrace them and give them love.
Speaking of love, the biggest positive from the pandemic was the time I spent with my son who came home from college last year. He really struggled with the isolation, quarantining, online learning and lack of connection and it affected his mental health. We brought him home and since I wasn't on the road like I usually am for 100 events a year, we spent a lot of time together at home, talking, growing and healing.
The most painful and challenging moment of our lives turned into a bond that we have never had before and despite all the pain from the pandemic I will be forever grateful for the relationship I now have with my son because of it.
I stopped pushing my son and started listening to and understanding him. I made our relationship a priority and his healing my main focus and saw him get back into the gym, open up spiritually and develop a passion for crypto currency. He spent hours researching crypto companies and together we invested based on his recommendations. It was one of the best investments I've ever made. Not because he picked some amazing winners, which he did, but because he came alive doing something he loved. He went back to college this January to finish his degree and we both realize how the pandemic paved the way for his purpose and future.
I’ve learned that we grow the most, not by living in the past, but in learning from it. We can’t go backwards. That's a recipe for misery and despair. We must find the positive, take the lessons with us and move forward.
I know it's easier said than done. I also know that forgiveness and healing are often a big part of the path forward. But it's a process and a journey worth taking. Learn from the past. Heal in the present and create your future! Do this individually, with your team and organization!
Let’s positively move forward together!
Jon
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