The ‘Positives’ of COVID
It’s hard to look back on 2020 and think good things came from it. From a general business perspective, it was hard. Materials/products were hard to come by, the ever-changing rules and regulations, our kids and their school environment. Loss and hardship seemed to be everywhere we looked.
COVID did force us to face some fears and uncertainty, and, you know what? Here we are, having faced those fears and lived. Ryan Holiday writes this in his book The Daily Stoic,
‘Here’s a lesson to rest your mind’s mettle; take part of a week in which you have only the most meager and cheap food, dress scantly in shabby clothes, and ask yourself if this is really the worst that you feared. It is when times are good that you should gird yourself for tougher times ahead, for when fortune is kind the soul can build defenses against her ravages. So it is that soldiers practice maneuvers in peacetime, erecting bunkers with no enemies in sight and exhausting themselves under no attack so that when it comes time, they won’t grow tired.’ Seneca
What if you spent one day a month experiencing the effects of poverty, hunger, complete isolation, or any other thing you might fear? After the initial culture shock, it would start to feel normal and no longer quite so scary. — Ryan Holiday
COVID forced us to face some ideas or fears that we held on to, yet, once we did, we realized something was to be learned from this, AND it was for the good. Below are some things people did, implemented or learned during this time. Yes, life changed, but sometimes for the better!
- “Relationships are important; value them, hold on to them, and make the most of them.” – Aaron Green, FCS
- “Don’t overthink and over-plan. 2020 taught me to gather information and make a decision. Don’t plan and overthink hypothetical situations, tomorrow changes everything!” – Aaron Green, FCS
- “One positive outcome from COVID for us is that we went cashless. We were open to the idea but just not quite ready to make the jump until COVID hit. It saves us about an average of an hour per day not having to count, reconcile and deposit cash. Customers have been very accepting of this change and, therefore, we decided that it will become a permanent change. Thank you Covid!” – Willy Beumer, Dutch Car Wash
- “We now do more in-depth cleanings of frequently touched surfaces. 2020 was challenging keeping everyone working and paid with a couple months of low car counts and low revenue but we will come out stronger.” – Jeremy Place, H2WOW Carwash
- “Inspiration and Resolve describe 2020 for me. I found it in many places, people and in every circumstance. On trips around Colorado, 3 to Ohio, to Montana, to Minnesota, and to Charleston I saw it everywhere and closer to home as well. I saw people inspired to do really wonderful things, creatively solving problems despite mindless rules and roadblocks. It was really cool. Coupled with the inspiration, I saw resolve, too. Resolve manifested as individuals’ gritty determination to adapt and overcome. I saw inspiration and resolve in my girls, too. Iona took on double jobs for the car wash, adding responsibilities in the midst of a daily storm of irrational government edicts, working to keep good employees, providing leadership and keeping our team together. Skye, finishing up her sophomore year and starting her junior years of college, has shown discipline and resolve to excel and gain all she can from her classes, notwithstanding her University’s utterly unfocused plan to enable these scholars to learn. Iona and Skye give me mountains of inspiration and the resolve to overcome any obstacle. Bring it! It is a gift from God, showing me such strength in my girls. This gift has made 2020 awesome in ways I could never otherwise have imagined.” – Robert Kearney, Speedy Sparkle Car Wash
