I recently posted a video of a smiling baby dancing on social media.
A guy responded, "JON, PEOPLE ARE DYING!”
I responded, "Yes, I know. 3 million people die in the US every year. Both my parents have passed away. I miss them. I know death but I want to speak life to those who are struggling. I choose to bring a smile to people and share encouragement."
In fact, one of the best things you can do to strengthen your immune system is to laugh and smile.
A SOURCE OF ENCOURAGEMENT TO YOU....
My goal is to be a source of encouragement to you during this crazy time. Check out DailyPositive.com where I'll share a daily email with an encouraging quote or message.
I'm not a doctor or scientist who knows how viruses work, but I do know how our mindset, attitude and faith can affect our health, happiness, stress level and actions.
These are unprecedented times. We've never seen anything like it. We need to be positive, be rational and be smart. We need to embrace this challenge and find a way forward together.
LOOK FOR THE OPPORTUNITIES...
Every crisis and challenge always present opportunities. The key is to look for them. Here are a few to consider.
1) Connect more with your family. I've been spending time with my family and they seem like nice people :) And my wife said to me that with all this social distancing it looks like we will have to talk to each other. :)
2) Take the time to reflect about what's truly important. My grandmother always told me if you have your health you have everything. What matters most to you?
3) Create something Amazing. It was during a personal crisis when my world slowed down and everything became still that I wrote a book in 3 1/2 weeks. It was The Energy Bus and would go on to sell 2 million+ copies and impact a lot of people. Use this time to find stillness and create something amazing that you can share.
4) Grow Yourself. This is a great time to read books and listen to podcasts. I happen to know of some encouraging books and hope you will check out my Positive University Podcast (subscribe for free in iTunes). Also use this time to grow your faith. I lost my job during the dot com crash and it was the worst time of my life. But it led to my greatest opportunity for growth. It's when my faith was born for moments like this.
5) Enhance your Health. Here are some proven health and immune system boosters. Get adequate sleep. Moderate exercise. Reduce stress. Meditate, Pray. Eat Garlic. Vitamin C. Eat fermented foods for probiotics. Eat more organic fruits and vegetables. Drink plenty of water. Our latest Positive University Podcast with Dr. G shares many more.
Even though I'm talking about opportunities and sharing some humor, I want to be clear that I understand the severity of this situation. Positive leadership is not pollyana. We are positive not because life is easy. We are positive because life can be hard. We must embrace the facts and work to create the best outcome.
UNCERTAINTY LEADS TO FEAR...
It's been strange to see so many empty shelves in the grocery store. It's proof that uncertainly leads to fear. Fear leads to panic and panic leads to bad decisions. We need to understand that lives are at stake and in the process stay calm and rational so we can make good decisions.
Hoarding toilet paper is not a good decision. Social distancing is a good decision. Most experts are saying this will help flatten the curve which means by avoiding contact with people we will prevent the coronavirus from exponentially spreading and avoid a situation where hospitals can't handle the amount of critical patients.
I'm personally practicing social distancing, not because I'm worried about getting the virus or even having it but because I traveled a lot the last few weeks and don't want to be a spreader of it. I'm doing it to protect the elderly and vulnerable. It's not about me. It's about we. It's about looking out for each other and caring enough about others that you focus on what’s best for them, rather than what you want to do.
PRACTICE SOCIAL DISTANCING BUT STAY EMOTIONALLY CONNECTED...
While practicing social distancing keep in mind that loneliness is already an epidemic in this country that is affecting a lot of people and leading to depression and suicide. So, while practice social distancing, make sure you stay emotionally connected to others. Call a friend. Facetime. Zoom and Skype. Reach out to someone who might be lonely right now.
If you are worried for your business and career that we will be isolated for a long period of time, I don't think it will be longer than a month, two months at the most. Humans beings and society can't be disconnected for long. We were made for connection and we must connect to move our society and economy forward. We must connect for our own mental health.
At some point we must go back to living our normal life with the reality of a new virus. As the CDC said most will be exposed to it and most will recover from it. It's not going anywhere and unfortunately some will die from it just as 100k-400k die worldwide from the flu each year. Death is a reality of life and while we must now do our part to avoid an exponential catastrophic loss of life, we won't be able to keep everyone from dying from this virus over time. We will need to go back to living life and connect as we were made to do.
STAY POSITIVE...
The key will be to build your health and immune system. Protect the elderly and vulnerable. Practice good hygiene... wash your hands a lot and stay positive!
Things are tough now. But we will get through this. We can't control the events in our life but we can control how we respond!
As you go about your week, remember that fear and faith both believe in a future that hasn't happened yet. Fear believes in a negative future. Faith believes in a positive future. Be smart. Be prepared. Take action and choose to believe in a positive future!
Blessings,
Jon
WE'RE HERE TO HELP...
Myself and my team of consultants and trainers have a lot of time right now since most of our events are cancelled for at least the next month. If you want to talk about how to help your team get through this challenge and what to do when things get back to normal please reach out to us at help@jongordon.com and we will be happy to give advice and encourage you at no charge.
