Even through the hardest of times, there is always something we can learn. “Never let a crisis go to waste” is a quote that continues to come to mind.

Forbes recently posted an article outlining lessons we’ve learned from the pandemic.  As I read through them, it helped me to appreciate the good that will come out of this and to forget most of the bad…if just for a few minutes.

Patience: Waiting is the new norm it seems.  Waiting for life to return to normal.  Waiting for restaurants to open.   We’ve all done a lot of waiting, and it has taught us to be more patient.  Hopefully we will all come out of this with a little more patience.

Adaptability:  We’ve all had to adapt in many ways.  Organizations had to adapt quickly by implementing remote work.  Employees had to adapt to working at home. Families had to adapt to everyone being home all the time.  Parents and their children have had to adapt to homeschooling.  We’ve certainly all learned to be resilient during this time.

Creativity: People have had to be creative with how to fill their days.  Some have undertaken house projects, and many have taken to board games and puzzles.  Happy hours have gone digital.  We’ve all had to get creative in order to keep ourselves busy.  This pandemic has forced us to see things differently and consider new ways of doing things.

New Ways to Connect: Humans are wired for connection.  While nothing can replace face to face interaction, people have found ways to connect. Apps like Zoom have exploded over the last few weeks.  Families have enjoyed dinners together via Zoom.  Social media has taken on a whole new role in connecting us to each other.  I’ve even heard of the handwritten notes sent via mail coming back.

Gratitude: This one reminds me of the saying, “You don’t know what you have until it’s gone.”  But this is also a time where we recognize those people who we are so thankful for that we might have taken for granted in the past: healthcare workers, teachers, restaurant workers, grocery store workers, and so much more.  The word “essential” has taken on a whole new meaning.  Perhaps priorities will have shifted when this is over.

Self-Discipline: Is anyone else having trouble staying out of the snack cupboard?  Being at home 24/7 is difficult.  It takes a lot of self-discipline to maintain healthy eating habits and an active schedule.  On the other hand, it’s now really easy to binge watch an entire series in one sitting!  Maintaining a schedule and taking care of yourself is more important than ever and many of us have learned a lot about the importance of self-discipline during this time.

Accepting the Unknown:  I think accepting the unknown has been the biggest adjustment for me.  It seems like everything is unpredictable right now.  If you cancelled a vacation, when can you travel again?  If you’ve had to close your business, when can you open again?  When can we return to our place of work? Everything right now is unknown. This all goes back to the first lesson in the list – patience.  We’ve all had to learn to be patient and accept each day as it comes – something I was never very good at prior to this.

What lessons have you learned during the COVID-19 pandemic?  Email me at [email protected].