Since I shared this list last week, many things have changed. As the news about COVID-19, and its real and imagined financial impact on the economy starts to sink in, there is still one fundamental truth: If we support each other from the ground up, we will be stronger and more unified. Hope can be found by recognizing yourself in others and doing your part to keep things moving in the right direction.
And let’s continue to refrain from talking about what might go wrong and start talking about how to be creative and use our natural-born adaptation skills to turn negatives into positives.
Stay calm and positive and make it a point to share positive news when you get it!
Here’s my updated list on ways you can make a difference – it all adds up:
- Eat – Continue to spend the money you would have spent to go out to eat and use it to order food delivery from your favorite restaurant — chances are it has pivoted to delivery service. This helps the restaurant, and the delivery guy, and you get the food you want! Tip generously as these delivery professionals are on the front lines!
- Buy something online – Order something you want or need online, but this time don’t go to Amazon, do your research and buy it directly from the manufacturer, or the small mom-and-pop online store. You’ll help keep the manufacturers working, the delivery services delivering and they’re all buying gas and paying taxes!
- Work from home – If you have the luxury of working from home wear it like a badge of honor — you have a unique opportunity keep the economic engines humming so you can lift up those who aren’t so fortunate. Consider it your responsibility to keep things going because you CAN!
- Support the Arts – Money that you would have spent to go to a show or a concert? Keep spending it on the industry — buy more streaming movies, TV shows and send the difference in donations to entertainment websites collecting funds for struggling entertainment professionals. Buy music directly on artists’ websites and help boost their rankings!
- Travel for Business (later) – Re-book your trip for 2 months out. Most airlines are not charging change fees, so let them keep the cash to pay their employees. Re-book the hotel reservation so that the hoteliers have reason to hope for the future. You’ll do your part to keep the struggling service economy afloat. Keep your meetings and switch to a video meeting or conference call and keep your business going by continuing to make that human connection — virtually!
- Travel for Pleasure (later) – Don’t cancel the booking — just reschedule it! It sends positive waves through the travel industry that is heavily impacted by the current climate, lets them keep the cash for their operations and gives you peace of mind knowing you have something fun to look forward to!
- Focus on what IS — not what IF – This will let you spend your valuable energy on things you can make decisions about and control vs. wasting those cycles on anxious energy about things that haven’t happened yet, and probably never will. Take things ONE DAY AT A TIME.
- Keep Buying – Just like after 9/11, when leaders encouraged you to buy American, this time just focus on buying overall. The more you spend, the more everyone else will be able to keep their businesses going and all boats will rise!
- BE POSITIVE and BE KIND – Take an extra 30 seconds to think about what you’re going to say to someone and make sure you’re coming from a place of positivity and kindness. This will help calm you emotionally, and it will be felt and repeated throughout the day as people interact with each other by phone, video or just sharing space at the grocery store!
- TURN OFF the TV and be creative – Take the extra time you may have each day without a commute to think of ways to help those around you who may be less fortunate. Bounce ideas off friends, even if they sound goofy. Use those brain cells for the forces of good, and stop supporting the spread of misinformation!
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John Henning is the Chief Client Officer at Granite Solutions Groupe. He has over 35 years of leadership experience in the financial services and technology industries, and currently oversees all client account management, professional services, marketing strategy, business development and sales operations for GSG. To stay updated on the latest market news and insights, be sure to follow us on LinkedIn.