Seventy days. That’s how long it’s been since this strange new season began.
That feels like a significant marker. 70 days into a crisis unprecedented in our lifetime. It feels like a moment to remind ourselves of some things as we navigate the still-shifting sands of our new normal –
Right now, right answers are a myth. For most of us, for most of our decisions, there is no ‘right’ answer. There’s no playbook. There’s just our best attempts at wisdom, experimentation and iteration.
Normal relationships currently require abnormal amounts of intentionality. Under this amount of constant low-grade anxiety and uncertainty, standard levels of relational effectiveness and health require elevated levels of self-awareness and emotional regulation, and deliberate choices in words and actions.
Margin is now mandatory. Many of us ran really hard for a while at first. There was so much to pivot, to set up, to communicate. But it’s important for you, for your team, for your loved ones and for your organisation that you not crash and burn. Even at your best, margin is important. And the psychological weight of what we are all navigating means that you are not at your best. Resilience requires rest. Find the things that allow you to decompress, refuel and rest. And then make them non-negotiable.
We are finding our way. We are finding new opportunities. We are finding new versions of ourselves and our dreams.
Normally the seasons of our lives change in ways unique to us, distinct from most of those around us. This year, we are each of us living through a change in the seasons of our lives unlike any that has come before, because it is shared by us all. We are explorers on the frontiers of our lives, as William Bridges once put it. But we have set out with the grandest expeditionary force of all time.
And who knows what we shall find together?