Something About Like So

I haven’t had a complete thought in about three weeks. Then again, I’m not even sure that’s how long it’s been. Keeping my kids occupied, entertained, and off of electronics for the hours they would have been in school is a brain drain for someone used to having uninterrupted time to think and work. Brain space is personal space in my book and it’s in short supply these days. Is it just me or is someone always talking? Though I’m ever grateful for health, stability, and the opportunity to spend quality time together, gratitude cannot replace personal space.

As we all must do, I’m finding ways to work around the changes. Reminding myself to let go at times and to hold on at others. Modeling after wise friends and family who take things one day at a time, keep it light, and show that lowering expectations is a parachute in this free fall.

All this unrelenting togetherness (and 43,000 Zoom meeting per week) can really harsh a mellow. It's a radical confrontation. With nowhere to go, we are confronted with every aspect of ourselves - all at once - in the company of every aspect of each of our family members. Everything you are and everything they are, is in your face... indefinitely. This is the perigee in the orbit around your life. You may never get a closer look.

Overlooking the site of Richard du Pont's Flight

Today, thanks to a kind and generous husband, I’ve escaped with my computer to a scenic overlook in an attempt to organize my incomplete thoughts. Here are a few more of them:

• For some, this pandemic and it’s ripple effects have activated jobs, businesses or organizations in new and increasingly critical ways. For others, COVID-19 has put business into a holding pattern...postponing plans, events, and other “regularly scheduled programming.”

  If you’re in a holding pattern right now, perhaps surrounded by stories of hardship or colleagues who are in full activation mode, focus on what is true for you. Is your organization in crisis? If it’s not, avoid slipping into crisis mode. If you are not truly facing a hardship today, don’t borrow trouble. It is possible to be empathetic and supportive without making the crisis your own. It is possible to stay informed and responsible without spinning out. It’s possible to lead yourself and your team according to what is actually true for you today. 

• And, what do you believe? Do you believe that your customers/members still want to hear from you? That people still want your content? That they are still buying? That they are still giving? That you will always find a way to make things work? If you believe these things, they are true. 

• Finally, and maybe most importantly: Bob Ross videos. Watch them all day if you have to.  

Other links you might find helpful:

• You’re only 1.5 minutes away from understanding the new communication rules for your organization: The H.I.M. Test 
• News about 990 filings Form 990 Filing Period Extended 60 Days
• The importance of being contagiously calm: The psychology of mass panic and collective calm
• If you’re doubling down on your continuing ed right now, this communications webinar looks promising: Crisis Marketing - How to Connect with your Audience
• Up-to-date info about the CARES Act stimulus package for nonprofits and small businesses How Your Business Can Take Advantage of the $2T Stimulus Package plus, this podcast on the subject: https://www.amyporterfield.com/2020/03/308c/
• More free fundraising tools and resources for nonprofits and schools from GiveGab
• If you've considered turning your knowledge into a digital course and running an online business, you can access Kajabi’s free 28-day trial here: Kajabi 28-Day Challenge