Imagine!

Stuck and Stuff 

It’s been 2 months since I published my last blog – and it’s not that I haven’t tried to write something. There certainly has been a MULTITUDE of topics that I would normally be itching to write about.  For heaven’s sake – our world has been turned upside down in the last 9 weeks.

Believe me, I tried. I tried writing several blogs hoping to be motivational and uplifting. And I started a You Tube Channel called Rejuvenate Your Life. But frankly, I couldn’t rejuvenate myself enough to make very many videos.

Each attempt felt forced, fake or trite.

One thing I think people are learning about themselves is that it’s hard to fake it for very long.

We can put on a brave face and suck it up, for the sake of… whatever… for only so long…

When you can’t go to work or your business has closed and your kids are home and you’re cooped up 24/7 for weeks on end, life takes on a new meaning. Or you find new meaning in life.

I think, or rather, I hope – we’re looking at life – and people -in a more discerning way. “Essential workers” might have been a nice politically correct phrase in January, if we thought about them at all: trash collectors, grocery clerks, delivery drivers, cleaning crews are risking their lives so we can stay safe in our homes. And hopefully, people are really understanding that teachers have a greater value, and impact, than an athlete and will fight for fair wages and support for them.

Sometimes I wonder, though, if people are getting the “lesson” about what’s important. We’ve been consumed by stuff. Buying stuff, accumulating stuff, storing and hoarding stuff, showing off our stuff. Using our stuff as a measure of success and worth.

Then WHACK!

The Universe slaps us upside the head and halts life as we knew it. And for some, toilet paper became important stuff. Others are whining that they can’t get a pedicure or want to get their car washed or go buy more stuff.

And, while it may sound harsh, I hope the Universe keeps these people in “time out” a little while longer, so they can think about what’s really important and who they want be post-pandemic. Because you see, our post-pandemic success will be based on what we do now.

What are we learning that we want to keep going forward? What have we learned that we no longer need or want in our lives in the future?

Andrew Cuomo and Re-imagining

I like to listen to Governor Andrew Cuomo’s daily updates, even though I’m in California and he’s in New York. He reminded us that we’re seeing glaring examples of things not-working, such as getting testing and supplies to the front line, or care for vulnerable populations such as nursing homes or the homeless, children without access to regular meals or the internet to continue their schooling.  He suggested that we need to be using this time “to reimagine” how we can make things better in the future: better health care systems, better technology, better education systems, better transportation.

Getting back to our old lives just won’t happen. And would we even want that now?

So rather than pine for what used to be, let’s re-imagine, or better yet, imagine what we want in the future.

Align Our TWA

Most of you who receive this blog have heard me talk about the importance of focusing on what we want, not what we don’t want. And aligning our Thoughts, Words and Action around our intentions of what we want…

Ready, Set, Imagine!  

How will you continue to make your family and communities be better?

How will you be better physically, spiritually and emotionally, post-pandemic?

How could our schools and education systems be different?

How could technology make our work or lives better? Many didn’t think working from home or remotely was possible – but guess what! It is for many.  And tele-medicine was a pipe dream until it became a necessity and people saw that it could work!

How can we make healthcare better and more accessible?

How would our food supply and eating habits be different?

How could our compensation and benefit systems be adjusted to recognize the work and value of all positions?

How could collaboration and inclusion make a difference in our decision making and/or creativity, innovation and problem solving?

How can we invest in people to have 21^st century skills to solve 21^st century problems?

What would it be like if decisions were being made that were in the best interest of the whole, rather than a select few?

While we all need a break and diversion and maybe compare opinions about Tiger King or the latest Netflix binge-watch, please start thinking about your future, and our future,  post-pandemic. Consider talking to your friends and family about what you want the future to look like and what you plan to do to make it happen.

You have a say in what happens next in your life, your community, state and nation.

It’s time to start speaking up like your opinion counts and acting like one person can make a difference in the world.

Note: I would love to hear from you and hear your thought on these topics. Please share your ideas here: https://alteringoutcomes.com/imagine-2/#respond

Marty Stanley, Certified Speaking Professional, is a national life and business coach and has been helping people reinvent their lives for over 20 years. If you’re ready to reinvent or re-imagine your life, contact Marty today: 816-895-5453 or 858-432-6764  martystanley@alteringoutcomes.com  www.alteringoutcomes.com  https://www.linkedin.com/in/martystanley