I Didn’t Sign Up for This!

6 weeks ago, I was preparing to go to Chicago to speak at a conference with an old friend from business school. And worrying about getting the right bathing suits for my teenage daughter for our family trip to Mexico (lesson learned: you can’t have too many). Things were looking good for our family, and my husband and our careers. We were talking about finally pulling up and replacing the old carpet. After 8 years of talking about it, could we finally plan the trip to Perth to visit an old friend?In a matter of a few weeks, the entire world changed. I didn’t want to believe it at first. When my mastermind group planned a happy hour for April 10, we all agreed: no matter what, we would meet in person. That didn’t happen. When my colleague and I were putting the finishing touches on a presentation for a conference in May, we decided we’re moving forward no matter what. That didn’t happen. And when my husband and I decided we were going to Mexico no matter what, that didn’t happen either. (The travesty of not wearing all those new cute bathing suits)I didn’t sign up for this.None of us expected a month ago that our world would look like it does today. When we planned for 2020, it did not include uncertainty, staying at home indefinitely, and countless Zoom meetings.I didn’t sign up for this.For me, 2020 would be the year of Visibility. (I took a few days to realize the pun.) My goal was to speak on several large stages in front of ideal clients and contacts. And I reached that goal with several conferences on the calendar. One was canceled, one was rescheduled, and one was changed to a virtual conference (which turned out to be a lot more fun than I expected), and I am anxiously waiting to hear about others. Yes, anxiously…I didn’t sign up for this. Neither did you!I intellectually know I need to reframe my perspective. Emotionally I don’t want to. It’s hard.Here’s what you can do to reframe your mindset:

1. What are the positives? I am not in the car most days! My credit card bill has never been so low. I don’t lay awake at night waiting for my teenage son to come home. I am getting 10,000+ steps in each day. Our sweet dog is ecstatic having everyone at home.
2. What choices am I making? I choose how I let others' anxieties enter my sphere. I choose to exercise every day!
3. What do I want? I want to stay healthy. I want to get back to ‘normal’ soon. I want to support those around me who are in compromised situations.
4. Who do I want to be? How do I want to come across to people during these times?

My new motto: STAY FOCUSED. NO FORECASTING. No one truly knows when this will all end, and what our new normal will look like. So, I will focus on what matters to me, to my clients, and to those in my home.I didn’t sign up for this!