Lean In
If there is one thing that seasoned professionals in our industry can agree upon, it is that we are resilient when it comes to surviving hard times. Be it builder, mortgage lender, or real estate broker, if you have been in any aspect of this career field for a while, you may have a bit of a familiarity with the term ‘this too shall pass’. Even with this in mind, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on daily life may feel never-ending.
We are all experiencing the effects of this global pandemic, emotionally, mentally, and physically, if not through illness than through the safety restrictions in place across the country. Despite how it may appear, the proverbial sky of our economy is not actually falling, and it will rebound. As professionals in the real estate industry, we universally share a propensity toward being skilled at perseverance.
Perseverance helped many of us survive the worst financial crisis of our lifetime in 2008. The ebb and flow of the market is not unfamiliar, but this crisis is coupled with a physical threat. The response to this pandemic is pounding our economy, while simultaneously threatening us with physical illness. This cocktail of discomfort makes for a challenge unlike anything most of us have faced in recent history.
Fear of the unknown, an enemy we cannot see, pressurizes the anxiety and uncertainty of our experience. The word being utilized most often to describe our current state of being is ‘unprecedented’. It goes without saying, because there is no rule book guiding us, the feelings associated to a lost sense of control are amplified. Adapting to this new way of life plays a role in our quest to regain some semblance of normalcy.
To cope, we often lean on the principles of self-distraction. However, with distraction, a level of responsibility is imperative. For example, disregarding the social distancing rules, intended for the protection of those most at risk, could prove detrimental to physical well-being. Mental and emotional exhaustion are heavy, but gambling with your physical health is inadvisable as it not only harms you, but it endangers everyone you encounter.
The biggest key here is that no one, not any single one of us, is spared from what is happening. However, it can be a unifying feeling when stepping outside of oneself to take inventory of the ways in which we are all in this together. Much like a new baby coming into the world, we are all learning how to crawl and then hopefully how to walk during this crisis. Having hope is the life-bread of seeing our way to the other side.
Channeling perseverance effectively can feed hope. Refocusing uncertainty into the pursuit of small goals can create a positive and healthy impact. Examples of healthy outlets include: setting an exercise schedule; hiking in a park you have never visited before; fostering a pet; taking one hour a day to learn a new hobby; or teaching yourself a new technology to keep you connected with others.
Amidst the chaos, there can be gifts hidden below the surface that await discovery. The social downtime we have at hand may be exactly what has been needed for us to rediscover our sense of community and self-connection. If you give into the opportunity to heal relationships at this time, even with yourself, then you may find that, when the time comes, you will reenter the world stronger than ever before. Now is the time to lean in, through our individual strength we can continue to persevere, to rebuild, and to heal as one. Be safe, stay strong, remain healthy.