When external factors derail your plans, it’s upsetting. What’s upsetting is your lack of control over the situation. And sure, you CAN get upset over it. But since you have no control, the energy is wasted.

There’s nothing productive about agonizing over external factors, even if it’s our first instinct.

Productive measures when external factors derail your plans

This year, the entire planet has been thrown a curveball in the form of COVID-19. We plan for the weather, for taxes, for changes of heart. But a global pandemic? Not so much.

So, what can you do? What productive measures can you do where you have control?

As simple as it sounds, all you can do is all you can do.

Focus on what you do have control over and do that.

When external factors derailed MY plans

I packed my carefully planned capsule wardrobe and was ready to go. Paris. In the springtime. I love to travel to Paris. It was a girls’ week with my sister and friend Sarah. We had a great place to stay and were giddy with excitement.

There was some news about an eruption. Volcanic eruption. In Iceland. It meant nothing to me. Like most Americans, geography is not my strong suit. How could an eruption in Iceland impact my long-planned vacation in Paris?

I had had faith that everything would be OK. It would work out.

Of course, it did work out. Just not as I had planned or hoped.

The ashes clogged the skies over Europe and there was no flying. As I was about to head out the door to the airport I got the text from United. Our flight was canceled. All flights were canceled. Our trip was off.

It had been a job to schedule the trip. I was leaving behind my three kids. Everything was meticulously scheduled. My great escape… a week of liberty. It’s ok. We went to Sonoma and read books by the fire. Not Paris, but an escape. A relaxing trip. Much more affordable.

Unforeseen circumstances

Now it’s the coronavirus. Talk about external factors…Closing schools, canceling major events worldwide, bankrupting businesses, and families. Creating havoc in the world.

I didn’t understand the chaos at Costco when I went on my regular trip.

Toilet paper was amazingly popular. The checkout woman told me people were trying to buy it all so they were now limited to two packages each. Same with paper towels. Rice: one bag. Somehow, I hadn’t realized things were getting so out of hand. More people died of the regular flu or in car accidents. My husband explained the numbers to me.

I went back to Costco. There was no more toilet paper or paper towels or rice or water or peanut butter or wipes or hand sanitizer.

On the whole, I try not to panic about things like this. I trust everything will work out. But then I look at the captain of the ship…

• The Safeway was out of all of those things as well.
• Google employees were told to work remotely if possible.
• Other firms followed suit.
• France said no gatherings over 1000 people.

I never realized I touched my face so many times in an hour! More hand washing.

Now, I want to tell people to follow the British motto:

Keep calm and carry on.

When external factors derail your plans, you can do what you can do.

That’s right: you do what you CAN do. You can’t control a global pandemic.

But what you can control?

What you eat. What you say. Where you go. Who you’re with.

• Wash your hands regularly
• Eat the right foods to strengthen your immune system (just one more reason to be vegetarian!).
• Cross off those long overdue items on your to-do list (for more on powering-up your productivity, click here).
• Cover your mouth when you cough.
• Elbow bump.

Be practical.

What would Mr. Rogers say? He would probably say to treat people civilly. Does leaving them contained on a cruise ship in the Bay count as civil?

This is going to sting economically because major events have been canceled and production facilities have been closed. This will ripple through the economy. Right now, you can’t see the whole picture. So work on taking care of you and your family.

If you’re feeling as though you’re mourning the life lost, the plans you had, you’re not alone. This shift from Plan A to Plan B, or even Plan Z for some, has left many exhausted by the utter stress of it all.

Beyond exhausted, many are actively grieving and mourning the loss of comfort, stability, and plans they had. For more on why you need time to mourn the loss of your old way of life and to figure out how you want to live your life going forward, read this.

Stay healthy!

Reach out

And remember, if you’re feeling anxious and frustrated from unimaginable external factors that have left you feeling completely out of control, there’s help waiting! If you want to talk about moving forward with greater clarity wherever you can, schedule an appointment with me for a 30-minute consult. Together, we’ll review your goals and find the best way for you to move forward. Here is a link to my schedule:

Click here to book your complimentary consultation now.

Alicia

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