MINDFUL

By Jay Ledesma

Shock, shake, spot

September 21, 2020, 2:48 pm

THE coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) is a great equalizer. It hits the rich and the poor, the young and the old, male and female, those from the city or the province, the popular guy, or the regular Juan dela Cruz. It chooses no one.



And because of this, they say that we’re all in the same boat. Perhaps, it’s more like we’re in the same ocean but we’re on different boats.
 We saw during the past 6 months that while we are all experiencing the same health crisis, people react and are impacted by this differently. 

Based on my own experience and on my observation of the people around me, there are 3 levels of reaction that we went through or are still going through during this crisis.

While some of us go through the stages smoothly, for others transitioning from one stage to another can be a bumpy ride. Others may even be stuck in the first level up to this time.

 SHOCK. We were all shocked when the first wave of quarantine or lockdown was announced mid-March. We didn’t understand what hit us. We were shocked because all of a sudden our lives changed. Nothing is the same.
We cannot go out. Unless you’re the holder of the FM Pass in the family, you cannot leave your house otherwise you run the risk of getting arrested.
 We were shocked because suddenly we’re out of work or with a lesser source of income since our companies had to reduce work hours or reduce manpower, do pay cut, or totally shut down.


A lot of business owners were shocked and struggled with how to sustain operations since employees cannot report to work.
 We were shocked realizing that we don’t have enough food supplies at home, that we didn’t have enough cash at hand, and that even if it’s not weekend, the entire family is at home!
We were initially shocked to find ourselves doing things that we were not doing before and not being able to do what we were used to doing before. Are you still in SHOCK?

 After the initial shock, comes the SHAKE OFF! We shake off our fears, our anxieties, and pessimism because life goes on amidst the pandemic. We shake off our inactivity as we need to continue living and making a living under the new normal.

Slowly, we resume our works, our businesses but observing new protocols.
 Companies were in a hurry to set up work from home arrangements for their employees so their operations can continue. Now, almost 80% of the workforce is under the WFH set up.
 Almost all products and services were migrated to digital platforms. Webinars, ZOOM, Goggle Meet, or Facetime are now the new normal modes of gathering, meeting, and talking to people.
 We shake off our attachment to material things, to titles, to positions, and to fame as we are reminded of the real things that matter and we should value in life.

Have you SHAKEN OFF those excess and unwanted baggage? 

But for many, SHAKE OFF is not enough. They continue to SPOT.
 They spot for those opportunities amidst the crisis. They spot the space where they should be in. They spot the void in the market which they can fill in.
 The Spotters are those who have turned their passion and creativity to income opportunities such as those online sellers of food, plants, crafts, and artworks. Online selling/shopping now dominates the consumer market. Spotters are those jobless turned to “Riders on the Go” as delivery services are in high demand. Spotters are those “Manongs and Manangs” who used to sell in market stalls but are now peddling in our subdivisions because they know people are hesitant to go out to market. Spotters are those who use the quarantines/lockdowns to discover new talents and hone further their skills. Spotters are those who are investing now while stock prices are on a bargain.

What have you SPOTTED? 

We are going into the 7th month of this health crisis! Still, we don’t know until when. Meantime, let’s be mindful that it’s normal that we were initially in SHOCK. But in the soonest time, we should have SHAKEN IT OFF and have SPOTTED opportunities that will not only make us survive but thrive in this not so ordinary time. 
If you know someone who is having difficulty going through these stages, let’s reach out as they may just need a little help to shake off and spot.

             

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About the Columnist

Image of Jay Ledesma

Ms. Jay Ledesma writes about local tourism and business bits that delve on investments and insurance.