The Emotional Toll of 2020

It’s Groundhog Day and Phil saw his shadow, so it looks like 6 more weeks of winter!

Today got me thinking about the classic movie, Groundhog Day, with Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell. I’m sure you’ve seen it. Phil (played by Murray) keeps waking up on the same day and having to relive it over and over again. We see him go through every emotion. 

At first he’s confused and isn’t sure what’s happening.

Some days he just gives up and doesn’t try at all.

Other days he puts in a ton of effort and goes all out.

Some days he’s just angry, others happy, others surprised. 

Kind of how we’ve felt during 2020, and now into 2021, living with business in the time of Covid, right? 

At first, we were all confused. We didn’t know how long the lockdowns would last or what life was going to look like when, and if, things reopened. We had a lot of fear of the unknown, conflicting information and not a lot of facts. We were forced to begin working remotely, managing people from afar and dealing with completely unexpected financial burdens. 

This happens in business all the time. When we begin a new venture, we often don’t have all the information we need. Yet, we have to make decisions we feel are best for us. We have to stay in action. 

I know through the past year and into now, I’ve had days just like the above. We all have. This hasn’t been easy.

It’s common to not feel 100 percent every single day, the important piece is to show up and the consistency supports you on the impact you are making.  

If you feel like you’re waking up and doing the same thing every day, make a change. It could be something so small, yet it will make a huge shift in your life.

You could try...

A gratitude or journaling practice. I do gratitude with a small group of friends.

Joining a mastermind or an online book club. I do not only lead them, I partake in them. 

Trying a new social media network to share your art. A colleague just introduced me to Clubhouse.

A new fitness program with an accountability group. I’m doing this with my daughter, in the mornings. 

A weekly Zoom chat with friends. Nothing like a girlfriend happy hour!

A DIY home project or a virtual cooking class. I’ll just say YES to the home project.

When you take care of yourself, you take care of your business. When you feel refreshed, you bring that energy back into your business. When you clear your mind, you come up with new and creative ideas. 

It might feel like Groundhog Day, but keep taking steps forward. Before you know it, everything will look brighter, better and bolder.