Quarterly check in…and a change in perspective

The first three months of 2020 will always remind me of a rollercoaster ride —

That slow, long, click-click-click as the cars edge slowly upward to a great height, your head held back against the seat by gravity (or by fear if you’re afraid of heights) as you peek left and right, anticipation of the ride coursing through your body before your car reaches the top only to plummet straight downhill at a fast rate of speed, forcing your head to bounce back and forth relentlessly and uncontrollably when you begin to hit the uncompromising curves.

Does that sound about right?

January and February, for me, started off great when it came to putting myself out there as an author and left me with high expectations of what this year had in store for me:

• I enjoyed a wonderful meeting-of-the-minds with a local book club and was making a plan to regularly find more local groups I might be able to meet with;
• I had a breakfast meeting with an author I met last year, we had a great time comparing our author lives (she’s a romance writer) and I looked forward to meeting with her again on a regular basis to continue to discuss author-related business topics;
• I participated in a local speaker series, spoke about my journey as an author and was looking forward to the idea of possibly scheduling another event in the fall;
• I participated in and thoroughly enjoyed my first author podcast interview, which is expected to be made available in June…unless scheduling has changed for the interviewer due to the current crisis;
• I was contacted by an event coordinator and an author meet & greet was scheduled for the middle of March (but was cancelled before the stay-at-home order due to management concerns about what was already happening); and
• I had been approached by another event coordinator about scheduling a large event during the summer months.

And then, along with a surprise mid-month snow day, March came in like a lion with a roar no one will ever forget and our days changed dramatically.

The beginning of 2020 left us blissfully unaware and filled with optimism of what this new decade might offer, and I was ever so lightly holding onto the bar of my rollercoaster car, peeking left and right at the sights around me and anticipating the ride to come. By the end of March, I was holding the handle bar with a death grip, just wanted to keep my eyes closed and had whiplash and dizziness from the constant change and movement happening around me and the world.

Seriously, I wanted off this rollercoaster ride we’d been strapped into so tightly.

However, once I realized this might be our new normal for a bit, I realized I had to set aside what I want and remember to focus on what I have control over. It’s the best way to cushion my well-being in order to avoid the “whiplash” I’d be afflicted with if I did otherwise.

I’ve also had to change my perspective…we’re still on a rollercoaster ride of sorts and will be for some time, apparently. But rather than view these tremulous times as the second half of the heart-racing, head-pounding ride, I’m viewing these times as the first half of the ride. That time on the rollercoaster as you slowly move up to your destination, when you can take a good long look at what’s around you and breathlessly anticipate what’s to come.

In other words, I’m going to take this opportunity to appreciate slowing down, focus on what matters and discover what I can do to be better prepared when life gets busy again, so that I can continue to focus on what will benefit me the most, both personally and professionally.

I’m going to use this time to rediscover what my new normal will look like when the world begins to spin again.

Whatever your days look like, I hope you’re able to use them in a way that will benefit you best when life gets back to “normal” – or a new normal, if that’s to be the case.

Until next time, take care and stay safe.