That’s the phrase I’ve heard the most since the COVID-19 craziness started. I’ve heard it on calls with friends, said by strangers walking by and I’ve even heard it by clients and business owners who are hanging on as we sail into the great unknown.
Amidst all the panic buying and terror that the news is invoking, there is a deep and beautiful human spirit of positivity and resilience that is shining through. And that’s the human spirit – we are inherently resilient and resourceful and we are well on our way to finding how we operate in our new normal.
We will survive the COVID-19 pandemic, and dare I say, we will thrive on the other side with better values, more gratitude, and perhaps a deeper idea of what living a good life means to each of us.
The times they are a changin’, and I’d like to share a few sticky habits that I believe will prevail long after the chaos and disruption of the pandemic and shutdowns have passed.
Appreciation of Food
When was the last time in your day-to-day that you even thought about making bread or an 8 hour slow cooked lamb on a Monday? Appreciation of food has taken over our newsfeeds, from experimenting with different recipes, to supporting local restaurants with at home delivery, our appreciation and love of food has hit an all time high. We are seeing food & beverages fly off shelves at the moment, and my prediction is, that our newfound experimentation and love of cooking is here to stay. In addition to cooking we are seeing so much love and support going toward local restaurants and we foresee that as soon as shutdown is over, customers will flock to these with a newfound appreciation and love.
Using social media for good
Over the past weeks we have stopped using social media to check out strangers’ weekends and how great they look in a bikini, and started using it for what it was always intended for – connection and community. We are using social media to connect tribes, share inspiration, support one another and check in on friends and family overseas. We are seeing more people and brands on social media shifting their purpose and tone to encourage community growth and extend their online contribution.
Gratitude for work
We all get caught up in feeling busy at work, and as a country in Australia, we have been lucky enough to enjoy the good times for most of our career histories. The unprecedented shifts in the economy have shown us all how valuable our jobs are and what a huge role they play in our lives. Whether you are a business owner, team member, or freelancer, there is a huge appreciation for our work, clients, and the ability to enjoy doing our best work every day. This value is something that I believe will stick around in Australia long after we are all able to come back to stability.
Learning to work from home
At L&A we implemented ‘work from home flex hours’ at the start of the year, however we were always fearful of fully allowing work from home for fear of losing our culture, team vibes and productivity. What we have found, as has the rest of the world, is that we don’t need to be in the office everyday to do our best work. This huge social experiment means that when we do have the luxury to go back to the office, we will use our office space differently – perhaps as a destination and meeting point, rather than a constant place of work. It has shown us that our culture can live and breathe and thrive beyond our workplace, and we know many other businesses have had the same realisation.
Time and connection with the people most important to us
Our normal day requires us to go go go! While I love this, and get a lot of my energy from always being on the go, it is easy to take for granted the quiet time and connection that being homebound creates. We have gone from focusing solely on work and social activities, to staying home with our immediate families and loved ones. In addition to this, we are actively dedicating time to doing video calls, Zoom dates & FaceTime with the people deeply important to us. The long term effects of this will result in deeper connection, some corona inspired babies, and a long term improvement and focus on our relationships with the people who matter the most.
I know there will be good that will come out of this. There are businesses who will reinvent themselves and come out stronger. There are service providers who will figure out a way to do what they do digitally and thrive. However most importantly, there will be individuals who will rediscover what drives them in life, and take action accordingly.
My heart goes out to all of the people doing it tough right now. We have had to make extremely difficult decisions at L&A that I never thought we would have to make, and it’s tough. There will be good, and we as a society will come out of this smarter, leaner, more agile and most importantly, deeply aligned with the values that guide us to live our best lives.
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Gina is the heart and soul of L&A with a passion for her work and an adventurous spirit. She can’t get enough of her amazing team and working collaboratively to build a social media empire is what gets her out of bed in the morning!
