How a change in your work environment can mean good things for what’s next

As these words are being written, our nation and world is in the middle of a lockdown. It’s an unprecedented time, as commerce has been halted and financial markets have been on a tumultuous up and down. The oil industry has crashed and companies with 5 employees and companies with 5,000 are questioning how to navigate the next three days (let alone the next three months).

For some people, this shutdown has meant a hiatus from their jobs. For others, it has meant unemployment. Some businesses are getting help from the government to keep their employees — and their bills — paid. Other businesses were forced to close their doors and are probably not going too reopen. This unfortunate turn of events and entirely new scenario is a stark contrast to the booming economy of just a few months ago.

Regardless of where this economic season has taken you, it doesn’t have to be one that is without opportunity. Some of the biggest innovations in history have come out of times of necessity. Some of the most explosive and successful companies were birthed in times and atmospheres of resistance.

 Reconnect

Is there a professional relationship you’ve been neglecting or an opportunity you’ve been putting off? Perhaps you’ve been meaning to take “self learning” more seriously and start watching more webinars, TedTalks, and online training. Perhaps you’ve had a mentor you haven’t connected with in a long time? Use this season as a time to reconnect with opportunities or people you’ve been neglecting for too long.

Start Something New

Is there a business you’ve even dreaming of starting or an innovation you’ve been wanting to develop? Do you have an entrepreneurial spirit that you’ve tried to squelch in the name of “paying the bills” and “being responsible”?

Finish What You Started

Rather than viewing this as a chance to “jump ship” and look for new opportunities or greener pastures, consider that this is a time to take more ownership over your role at your current company. Maybe you have ideas for innovation, creativity, or efficiency that your bosses are looking for. This new season could be a chance for you to build something right where you are.

Will this be a time that you wait around for life to start again? Will you look for opportunities to build new things? Will this be a time that you calibrate to respond to the season of life that has been thrust upon you or will you simply complain about it?

Since the beginning of time, crisis has been a catalyst for new opportunity and innovation. The difference between those who are destroyed by the unexpected and those who are propelled by it is often measured long after the season has ended. 

So what will you do to turn this into an opportunity?