In times of uncertainty, it is easy to lose sight of what is important. We get bogged down with worries and apprehensions. Our minds are racing in darkness, and we feel as if we can’t stop it. Simple tasks get thrown to the wayside. Complicated tasks get put to the forefront because we think we need to “go all in” in order to break out on the other side. All we end up doing is pushing ourselves deeper into the mire of uncertainty.
“You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward; how much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done!”
-Rocky Balboa
If there is anyone who knows how to take a punch or two, it is the fictional character Rocky Balboa. As some of our favorite movies growing up, there is something inspirational about a down-and-out character. A character with the odds stacked against him. A character who is presented with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make a name for himself and who defies the odds and exceeds all expectations placed before him.
The basic premise that life will throw figurative punches at us is a powerful statement that can be applied to many areas of our lives. Now, this blog is not about Rocky, or boxing, or taking punches to the chin. It is about the punches that life can throw us (and there will be many). It is about how we can process our situations while remaining focused.
An Ever-changing Landscape Amid COVID-19
COVID-19, the subsequent closing of our consumer-based economy, and the redefinition of life as we know it, has thrown a considerable “punch” to business as usual.
Many businesses have been hurt by the coronavirus situation in 2020. Small businesses have been especially hard hit. These feelings of despair are a natural phenomenon in difficult times where everything seems questionable.
You are probably asking yourself, “How am I going to bounce back from this?” or “What is the first thing I should do?”
The first thing to do is this: Take a deep breath and realize you are not alone. Across the country, and across the world, there are a plenitude just like you: small business owners wondering what the next first step is.
It is easy to imagine yourself all alone stranded on some island. Our minds tend to drift to those extremes. It is a daunting task to bounce back from a major hit like the coronavirus pandemic, but it can be done. The first step is clearing your mind of what you think you can’t do and realize all that you can do.
The pandemic has presented considerable and unprecedented challenges to how we do business and live our lives. So many things that we did in person have now moved to digital formats. Uncertainty and change have led to widespread bouts of anxiety. It can be difficult to sort through the barrage of information to determine what is relevant to us.
Persevering Through Adversity
You may be just like us: Trying to figure out what the future holds and how to navigate the uncertainty. How do we maintain our businesses and help foster growth when what we are experiencing in the world is changing by the hour?
The answers are not easy, and it can’t be answered with a single blog post. What can be addressed is that regardless of our circumstance and despite this rather large “punch,” there will always be a foe at the other end of the ring. What gives us solace is that navigating the uncertainty that we face today will prepare us for a similar strategy for the next punch: using each other to support and work together.
We are all experts in our fields and each of us bring some unique experience or talent to the table. That’s why we develop teams of people and work together to leverage these talents toward particular goals. This is why we sometimes employ other experts outside of our organization to look at our issues from a different lens.
Perhaps most important of all is having character traits to remain calm, steadfast, adaptable, persistent and resilient. This helps bring clarity to the uncertainty. Sometimes it is the “Rocky mentality” that can help with the array of “punches” that come our way through life.