The Covid-19 pandemic hit and in one way, will never leave. It’s one of those milestone moments that change things forever; one of those things that shifts human behavior, which as us marketers know, is one of the hardest thing to affect. Causing the change you want from typical, accepted-as-normal behavior to a new normal – or abnormal – takes a lot of time and money. It takes ubiquitous, can’t-miss-it media, both paid and earned, to get people to do or try something new; something out of the ordinary – like standing 6ft from someone you’re having a conversation with. Like wearing a facemask to the grocery store. Like washing your hands until they’re raw, cracked and dry.
Why Resolutions Don’t Work
Every human being who has set a goal that drifted away or made a new years resolution and not achieved it, knows how hard it is change behavior or add a new way of doing things to our busy lives.
By the way. I want to lose a few pounds. I know what I need to do in order to get on that path but I usually deviate. The point being, just because we want to change and know how to change and know we should make a change doesn’t mean we can automatically affect a new behavior. I have learned that I am easily derailed; something made with butter and cream will often be the culprit.
Resolutions become pressure cookers for what we are not doing, or what we’re doing wrong. When we break them, which is typically the case, we feel even worse about ourselves.
The Power of A Positive Perspective
In times of extraordinary stress, it’s best to focus on what we’re doing right. With so much that’s in flux we need to hold on to things that sustain us; that support our core. We need to complain less about what’s going wrong and give thanks for what’s good in our lives. For me, it’s morning coffee with my daughter – a simple, easy routine that I look forward to. It’s also quiet time that I never had before. It’s solitude in which to work and write. It’s knowing my mother is being taken care of by my sister. It’s food on the table and a puppy on my lap.
There are behaviors we run toward and those we run from. Find the things you gravitate to that make you happy, calm and centered. These are your saving graces. And once you recognize them, give thanks for the relief they’ve granted you.
