An Unexpected Outcome Of The Corona Virus Nightmare
I'm not going to talk about the silver lining we should be seeking in the wake of the Corona Virus.
If you haven't heard, New York City's hospital staff is getting crushed.
It's hard to talk about the good things that can come from bad things when the bad things are really bad.
So, instead, I would like to find another way to reframe what's happening.
We have to admit that what's happening is a nightmare for many people.
I'm very grateful that I don't live paycheck to paycheck and that my life hasn't been entirely altered by this, so I feel that too--but I want to focus on the pain.
I don't know about you, but chances are, if you're reading this blog, you have something inside you that is driven by helping people.
You might be making software, writing a book, or helping an amazing company reach more people, but at the heart of it, chances are, you're in it for impact.
This is your chance.
People are in pain.
It's a nightmare for a lot of folks.
But it's not just a nightmare. Nightmares don't stay nightmares forever.
It's an opportunity to help people.
It's your chance to rise.
It's a nightmare, but it's a calling too.
2 Minute Action:
Take 2 minutes to help someone today.
If you don't know how, here are some ideas:
- Call your mom and ask if she needs help ordering groceries online.
- Text your friends and ask if they want to set up a "skype date" to stay social and raise spirits.
- Send a pizza to your local ER and let them know they matter.
None of these things are hard, but they mean so much.
It's definitely a nightmare.
But it's also your calling.
P.S. Here's what some other folks are doing, too:
DONATE
Wethos is partnering up with the Freelancers Union to launch a half a million dollar relief fund that will distribute grants of up to $1,000 for freelancers experiencing financial hardship due to the pandemic. Donate to the cause, here.
CROWD SOURCE
Betterific/Ideascale launched a public health challenge. People are collaborating to find relevant and actionable ideas to the crisis. Get involved, here.
BUILD SOMETHING
Copper 3D has developed and open-sourced a design for reusable 3D-printed face masks as part of their #HackThePandemic initiative.
AMPLIFY WHAT YOU DO
OLIO is matching your home-cooked meals with low-income families who previously relied on free school meals to feed their children.
USE THE INTERWEBS
Classcraft is helping students and educators all over the world navigate the shift to remote learning in the wake of school closures.
FILL THE GAPS
Cell-Ed created this free mobile text-to-audio COVID-19 guide to bridge the information gap for hard-to-reach populations, no data or internet required to download.
Your Way Isn’t Better For This Reason
Why are you helping those people over there? We have people right here who you could help.Have you heard this argument?I’m not religious, but aren’t we ALL “God’s children?”Stop judging people for the way they choose to help people.Where they donate, who they help, and how they help others is not the point.They’re taking action.What are you doing?
2 Minute Action:
Check out Kiva.orgI have a subscription set up that pulls a small amount of money from my account and posts a micro-loan to someone with a business.It takes 2 minutes to set up and over time, your loans/donations will accumulate and make serious impact.Start now. It’s up to you to help people in need.
If You Want Respect, Do This
We can all agree that we should respect others.Respect their opinions, respect their time, respect their space, blah blah blah.Yet, I've found that few people can name discrete actions that are respectful.Let's take a typical office meeting as a quick scenario.
Try this:
- Before every meeting, ask if anyone has an obligation immediately afterward. Let them speak first so they don't risk missing anything if the meeting runs late.
- When answering a question, use an appropriate amount of detail to stay relevant to the people in the room. It'll also help prevent people from falling asleep.
- Instead of waiting for the speaker to stop talking so you can make your point, try responding to what they've said and roll it into your point. It'll make conflicts easier and it'll help others actually begin to listen to what you've said, too.
This is respecting others' points of view and respecting others' time.
2 Minute Action
Who is someone in your life you respect?Can you text/call/tell them right now?Chances are, the more you treat others with respect, the more you'll also be respected.It's hard work to do this consistently, but it's worth the effort.