Change is just change and COVID is just change

First of all let me say that by no means am I trying to diminish or make the devastating effect of personal loss due to COVID-19 sound right.

Google defines change as “an act or process through which something becomes different”, therefore change by definition is neither good nor bad, it just means that something becomes different to what it was before. The COVID pandemic certainly doesn’t feel like good change, not right now anyway, but change is also by definition an opportunity that can be seized so we can look back one day and say: It was difficult, but look how different everything is now.

Why does this feel so different?

The world is a constantly evolving place and you might say that things are changing for the worst but I respectfully disagree. Sure there are bad things happening in the world but this has always been and will be the case so I would argue that there aren’t more bad things happening we are simply more informed about them. We are virtually connected to everyone on the planet via the internet, we can travel, technology is widely available, you have more opportunity to make your own fortune then ever before. The world didn’t become a worse place, it only became more populated and with that comes more complexity.

“This is a change that you didn’t choose to happen, but change that nonetheless will happen.”

What makes COVID so special is that it affects everyone on the planet and there is nothing you can do about it. This is a change that you didn’t choose to happen, but change that nonetheless will happen. And seeing the bright side and finding opportunity in change starts right there, accepting it for what it is, just change. Digging our heads in the sand and just trying to make it through is like trying to hold your breath long enough until you can resurface. This is the worst strategy you can take to get through, it might feel the safest thing to do, trying to hold on to the world the way we know it but the truth is, the world will never be the same. And you will never feel like you can resurface again and when you do to make it through the next leg the air will feel more and more toxic each time as the world passes by you. So remember, change is just change and it is upon us what we make of it.

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How do we turn this into a success story?

COVID is like one of those movies where an alien species attacks earth to wipe us out. You know how all these movies end. Yes, it ends with all of humanity coming together using our collective ingenuity to come up with solutions, fight the threat and conquer the challenges. If only it was like a movie where all the hard effort part happens conveniently in a montage while Queen’s We are the Champions is playing in the background. But life is more complex than that, and nudging this change towards a positive outcome takes all of us taking tiny little steps each day towards a brighter future.

“It means a clean slate, one that we hopefully won’t get again in our lifetime.”

This journey starts with asking ourselves the uncomfortable questions that we never bothered or were too afraid to ask. How much stuff do we really need to own, how much travel do we really need to do, what jobs are really essential to our survival, how do we spend our free time, why did we take freedom for granted? COVID is challenging the status quo and sadly wipes out a lot of services, products and jobs in the process. And trust me, as an owner of a business that was hit hard, I can empathise. But business is a never ending story anyway, this current situation just puts us to the test like never before. However it also means a clean slate, one that we hopefully won’t get again in our lifetime. Coming to the realisation to buy only the things that we really need and truly value, to go on the trips that are deeply meaningful, to share experiences with people we truly love and to remember how lucky we are to be part of a species that can fight such a complex problem as a global pandemic will change life as we know it. But does such a future sound like such a bad one?

When one door closes another opens

Being an entrepreneur is about creating value for people and making the world a better place in the process. COVID has made us stop to think and re-evaluate the world as it was before, it is also rearranging what is valued now and will be valued in the future. Freedom of movement, shared face to face experiences, health, safety and comfort has always been highly valued “items”, but now they will have a whole different level of value. 

COVID is devastating in many ways and something that we definitely didn’t ask for but nonetheless it is happening. So all we are left with is to see it for what it is, an opportunity that at the end of the day will come down to me, you and every single person on this planet whether we take it or waste it.

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