Does it feel weird to you yet? Walking outside without a mask? Do you live somewhere that no longer requires them inside? For the last 15 months, our worlds have been so turned upside down, righting ourselves is bound to cause some vertigo.
As we all find our balance, many people have floated the notion that before returning to normal, we should consider what parts of our previous normal are and are not worth our return. Let’s build upon it.
The vast majority of us did not see 2020 coming nor some events of 2021. Who could we have? The heart-wrenching suffering of both patients and medical providers alike, loss of life at unimaginable rates, and a stifling economic recession. If only we could erase 2020 and start anew.
Well, we can’t. Nor should we try to wipe it from our memories. As hard as the last 16 months have been (and, it’s important to remember, still are for many), they did offer us many reminders that can help us march toward 2022 and beyond with more perspective, passion, and peace of mind.
Perspective
All setbacks, let alone tragedies, help us reconsider our priorities. The pandemic reminded many of us how privileged we are to have so many of the things we normally take for granted: access to healthcare, food, shelter, social safety nets, quality time with family, friends, and acquaintances. The last year also reminded us of the inequities in our world and the fragility of our freedoms.
Put perspective comes from gratitude. As Oprah Winfrey once said, “Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you’ll never have enough.”
Professionally, what new perspectives can we bring to our work? How can what we’ve learned in the last 15 months make us more valuable to those we serve, better able to address the problems we try to solve?
Passion
Perspective brings with it a lot of power. Can these new perspectives, for example, help us ignite new passions? Or, perhaps fan now cooled passions to blaze again? We have to believe that the right perspectives can allow us to reclaim parts of ourselves we have lost or didn’t know existed. Parts that we can use in our work to make us better at what we do, better at being ourselves.
That’s what’s behind Spencer Brenneman’s shift to helping mission-driven organizations. We’ve helped a lot of traditional businesses over the years, but it no longer ignited the same fire. We’re still very proud of that work because there’s nothing inherently wrong with helping people work towards a profit. There’s also nothing wrong with not. That said, the perspective that the pandemic brought us made our choice clear.
Peace of Mind
Together, what can perspective and passion bring us? Over centuries, our culture has slowly but surely evolved into one in which nothing is ever enough. What is enough? When is whatever that is enough? How will we know?
It’s our hope that both the perspectives formed and passions ignited by the pandemic can lead us all a bit closer to having more peace of mind. After all, doesn’t peace of mind come from appreciating what’s important as well as doing it?
Before the pandemic gets too far behind us, let’s make certain we take hold of the perspectives, passions, and peace of mind that it will leave in its wake.
