Let’s go back to April 2019. I was in Chicago, which was already my third trip that year. My hair was still super short from the big shave, life was predictable in a good way and I was journaling every day. 

But here, in April 2020, I’m home, all flights are canceled until further notice, my hair is touching my shoulders and I’m sitting here resisting journaling because it’s that kinda day. Meh! Lot’s of thoughts, even more feelings but a sort of numbness around what to really say. Even with pen in hand, and freshly brewed coffee by my side, an hour later the page remained blank. 

All I can think and feel is that this whole situation sucks!  

So instead of forcing myself to write in what used to be the normal way for me to process emotion, I’ve chosen to write the way I write best… to help others. 

That said, welcome to my (censored) journal entry for 16 April 2020. 

Today I’m rejecting the new trajectory of my life. I’m grieving the reality of lost plans that were carefully made. I’m pissed off that the things I worked hard to put in place now seem like a waste of time. Why do we even bother to make plans? I know that life will go on, BUT… this is NOT the life I planned! You get me??? 

Sigh.

As a life coach, I’m constantly reminding my clients of possibility and adaptability. But as a human (and a stubborn AF Taurus) I get upset too. I will also be the first to admit that change isn’t always easy to accept. 

So how timely was it that I was on a BPW call last night with Mrs. Susan Olde, OBE as the guest speaker? Let’s just say if this was a script of my life, it would be that perfect foreshadowing of me feeling crappy today and having to get over myself.  

But, what is life if not an 85 season Netflix original series, full of complex family dynamics, dramatic romances, disappointments, happy endings and plot twists with us all just waiting to see what the next episode reveals. 

Anyways, I digress. Let’s flashback to the convo last night with Mrs. Olde. 

There are two things she raised in that discussion that really stood out for me as useful when you find yourself confronted by extreme change. Therefore, I think it’s important I share them with you for when you need them. 

Here we go…

1. KEEP A JOURNAL. We are going through something profound and it will be valuable for us and future generations to look back and see how we got through it. And yes, we will get through it. Your journal will be the evidence of that and a reminder that life is still moving forward.  

Today my journal looks like this social media post. Yours may be the new website for your business, the book you write, a tree planted in your backyard, revived family traditions, or an online certification. 

2. BE CREATIVE. Creativity has always prevailed in times of hardship and should not be discounted. Sir Issac Newton changed the mathematical and scientific world while in quarantine for 2 years (Again, that’s 2 YEARS, not 2 weeks!). William Shakespeare wrote King Lear and Macbeth as well as Anthony and Cleopatra during the plague of 1606 which is said to be some of his greatest works. (Side note: that was the third time Shakespeare had to be in quarantine within a 14 year period). 

These guys had a higher chance of dying and less access to resources than we do. But instead of being bored in the house and in the house bored they used their natural talents and curiosity to create, discover, revolutionize, and be leaders in their industry. All because they had time and nothing but time and talent. 

In some cases, the quiet of quarantine gives us the freedom to finish a thought. The lack of normal allows for invention as a necessity for survival. 

So with the above in mind here’s how my outlook changes.

The truth is… my life doesn’t suck at all. Of course, I know that! Even if it did, now would be the perfect time to change it. 

If things aren’t going as planned, so what? Some of my best outcomes have stemmed from previous disappointments. Plus the ideas that I had put on pause for whatever reason, I now have time for. In fact, this is now the perfect time for some of them. 

We are going to end this post where we started. I didn’t know during the crappy parts of 2018, that in 2019 I would be having amazing travel experiences, no more than I knew that working from home in 2019 due to financial convenience would perfectly prepare me for being in quarantine. 

Who knows what future blessings will arise from this crisis.

Life is fluid, dreams evolve and success may look very different than you expected. Just yell “Plot Twist!” and keep going.