WILL YOU MERELY SURVIVE OR ULTIMATELY THRIVE?

I created a video training about how to optimize your Zoom presence the other day.  I got really good feedback that the video was useful and timely as the world transitions to video conferencing.  

One comment that got me thinking… 

The commenter said “who cares how we look” and “everyone just needs to relax and give people a break.” 

I absolutely get where she is coming from. And I think day one of this crisis we were all in the same boat, just celebrating the fact we got connected.  

And I agree that we should give people some slack and grace at this incredibly challenging moment in time, but that doesn’t mean that we give up on aspiring to be our best.  

We can either choose to SURVIVE or we can choose to THRIVE.  It is up to us.  

It really isn’t an either/or dichotomy it is more a first/then progression for those who choose it.   

-First we feel the shock of what is happening and we switch into survival mode.  

-Then we begin to accept that at least for a while, this is the new normal. 

-And we, if we choose to, we begin to look for ways to thrive in the new world. 

We all need grace!  We all need to let ourselves and others off the hook a bit.  We all need to mourn the loss of everything that has brought us to this moment.  But how we choose to proceed is up to us. 

Some among us will go into a state of suspended animation, just waiting for this to be over.  I have to admit that it’s tempting to curl up with Netflix and a bag of chips and while away the days.   

Others will choose to look for ways to thrive.  Thriving will likely look different than the goals we had pre-pandemic. 

Thriving is a mindset where you reach for progress and improvement in the context of the current situation.  

-For some, thriving will be using this time to get their closets cleaned out. 

-For others, they will up their home fitness game. 

-And for those who can still work, it might involve learning a new set of skills around optimizing how they show up on their now ubiquitous video conference calls. 

For me to feel like I am thriving, I need to take actions that make me feel confident, optimistic, relaxed and energetic. 

-Doing my hair and makeup allows me to feel more confident on video.  

-Learning the skills to master the new video technology makes me feel optimistic about what I can do moving forward.  

- Feeling more relaxed and energetic when I feel that sense of momentum that comes from progress.  

You can choose to “show up as you are”, “do the best you can” and “ask grace of the world” or you can choose to reach for your best self in this moment. 

And frankly, it might vary from day to day.  It’s scary out there.  Every family is facing different levels of challenges and those will ebb and flow with time.   

Thriving is not about perfection.  It is about that mindset of progress and improvement in the context of the current situation.   

Friends, I don’t judge you if you choose suspended animation.  Right now that might be as good as it gets!  I just challenge you to think beyond survival and reach for your own definition of thriving as we continue to navigate the unknown. 

With Purpose,

-Lucila