Overcoming The Fear Brought On By COVID-19

I still vividly remember the start of the year, when we all had confidence in business plans and were feeling really good about the future. My business vision was big and bold, and I just knew that my team and I would knock it out of the park. But then… well, the global pandemic happened, which was unlike anything any of us had ever experienced before. It changed everything. Not only did everyone have to scramble to keep clients and staff despite budget cuts and a shaky economy, but we also had new concerns arise around illness, economic impact and business viability. 

If there’s one emotion we all have shared this year? It’s fear. If you’re feeling uncertainty in business, I hear you and I get it. Let’s address it and then move on so we can become confident – and thrive – once more. 

Be Honest

You might think my first tip would be about finding the silver linings in the struggles and looking for the rainbow after a storm. But actually, screw that – or at least table it until later. Before you can start to look for the positive, it’s ok (and I’d argue even healthy) to be mad. Let yourself feel sad about all the loss and tragedy this year, let yourself feel frustrated by the traction you’ve lost in your business. 

There’s no point sugarcoating all that’s happened in 2020, so just be honest with yourself. There are all sorts of things you can do to process those emotions, like going for a run, writing out your losses on a piece of paper and shredding it or taping a list of your fears on a punching bag and going all Muhammad Ali on it. But you don’t even have to do that unless you’re compelled to. Just face the disappointments squarely, and let yourself sit with the emotions you feel. 

Reframe the Changes 

Once you’ve been honest and given yourself time to process the emotional rollercoaster you’ve been through, you can maybe, just maybe start to pull yourself up by your bootstraps. Consider the specific changes you’ve had to make this year, thanks to COVID-19. Did you have to lay off loyal employees? Change your business model? Temporarily close your doors? All change hurts, but a lot of the changes people have undergone this year have been especially brutal. 

Think of them all, and then think about changing the picture you have in your mind. What is the story you’re telling yourself about those changes? If you had to let 10% of your employees go, maybe you’ve been feeling incredibly guilty and telling yourself that wouldn’t have happened if you had planned better or been a better leader. Yeah, ok, maybe. But what if you rewrite the story? What if you had to let 10% of employees go because a global pandemic, completely unheard of in any of our lifetimes, caught us all off guard and even the most comprehensive planning may not have prevented the destruction it caused? If you’re honest, that version is probably the truest one. 

It might feel weird or hokey to take time to reframe everything that’s happened, but it’s really important for your outlook. If you downsized your office space, you might be really sad because you loved your old building. But if you reframe the situation, maybe it was a drain on your monthly nut and weighing down your finances even before COVID-19 hit. Now, you have more freedom to reinvest in the business rather than paying such high rent. Attitude really can make a difference, so check yours when it comes to the changes this year has brought. 

Consider the Opportunities

There are a million cheesy quotes about opening a window when all the doors in front of you are closed, so I’ll spare you those. But, I do want to challenge you to look ahead. Even if you lost a lot this year, all is not lost if you are reading this. You have your life and you have your knowledge, and maybe you even still have your business. It might look different and your sales might be low, but there’s always hope. 

Try to find the opportunities. If you discovered that selling your services one-to-one as you did before wasn’t scalable or practical to do virtually, maybe selling one-to-many should be the default here on out. Or if you had a brand new product that couldn’t go to market this year as planned, think about how the timing next year may actually work out in your favor. There’s almost always an opportunity if you look for it, even if it’s not what you had envisioned initially. 

Sending you the best as you redefine your business vision, and as we all collectively say goodbye to one of the toughest years yet. I’d love to hear what lessons you learned, and how you’re overcoming the fear that this year has brought. Drop me a line here.