Is The Coronavirus Your Opportunity To Expand?
This crisis can serve as a huge springboard for your life and your business
The pain and loss the virus is causing is tragic. The economic downturn for many will be disastrous, with at least several months of lost opportunity. Many lives have been adversely affected by it and will continue to be.
There is however another side to this story. Yes there will be losses, though there is potential for huge gains as well. My belief is we are on the brink of a new era.
Covid-19 — The Opportunity For Us All
Nearly every evolutionary leap humanity has made has been preceded by pain and loss. Hence the role of Fire in transformation.
Most births are painful, yet also wonderful experiences.
In Nature, many of the most important activities that lead to growth and sustainability are violent. Man has had to learn not to interfere with the natural cycles of fires, storms, and the circle of life etc. — Nature would eventually collapse…
…and all of humanity with Her if we did.
The virus is forcing us to put clear boundaries around our lives, to limit contact, to limit pollution, to limit travel, to limit consumption, to source local suppliers so that we limit our global impact. To become more focused on the health of our immediate community, especially those who are vulnerable.
I have been in business for 40+ years. Guiding management through re-structuring, stabilisation and accelerating their growth. My business has also passed successfully through several recessions…
…all of which means I have strategies for handling them.
Which is why I believe this current crisis can serve as a huge springboard for your life and your business.
I will go further and emphasise each of us is being provided with an opportunity to effect a transformation, the likes of which we have not seen before. Only we need to initiate it, no-one else can do it on our behalf.
One possible outcome is the coronavirus will change how the majority work. For example, more staff being encouraged to move to remote working.
5th March Sequoia Capital, one of the world’s top venture capital firms, sent a note to the founders and CEOs in its portfolio warning coronavirus could usher in a prolonged global economic slowdown. Fundamentally altering the business environment and urging them to brace for coming economic shocks.
Actions To Survive The Coronavirus
In sounding the alarm, Sequoia called the coronavirus the “Black Swan of 2020.”
These are rare, unexpected events which cause a massive impact and heavily influence global activity. The phrase itself gained currency a decade ago during the 2008 recession and its aftermath.
Sequoia’s advice is to question every assumption about your business, including:
Get ready, cut expenses, preserve cash. Think through how much cash you have. “Do you really have as much runway as you think? Could you withstand a few poor quarters if the economy sputters?”
The money is going to dry up. Don’t count on raising money. “Private financings could soften significantly,” Sequoia warned, before adding an optimistic note: “Many of the most iconic companies were forged and shaped during difficult times. We partnered with Cisco shortly after Black Monday in 1987. Google and PayPal soldiered through the aftermath of the dot-com bust. More recently, Airbnb, Square, and Stripe were founded in the midst of the Global Financial Crisis. Constraints focus the mind and provide fertile ground for creativity.”
Prepare to survive tough sales. Be forewarned sales might just fall apart. “Deals that seemed certain may not close. The key is to not be caught flat-footed.”
Cut advertising and marketing expenses. Take a hard look at your marketing spend. “You might find that your customer lifetime values have declined, in turn suggesting the need to rein in customer acquisition spending.”
Be prudent with capital spending. Take a look at capital spending. “Examine whether your capital spending plans are sensible in a more uncertain environment.”
The benefit of the lockdowns and quarantines has been immediately visible in:
Less Pollution and Fewer Accidents
With a majority of flights, cars, and factories no longer running, hundreds of millions — potentially billions — of metric tons of carbon dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and other pollutions are not being released into the air, lakes, streams, and oceans.
The average number of “good quality air days” in China alone increased 21.5% in February. Northern Italy has recorded major falls in nitrogen dioxide and this is spreading around the world. Satellites are allowing us to see what we have not in recent history — clear skies and images of Mother Earth.
How will this impact animal and plant life and Mother Earth?
Over 1 million sea birds and 100,000 sea mammals die each year from pollution.
With this breath of fresh air Mother Earth, natural habitats can start to return to benefit animal and plant diversity. With surprising speed as harmony returns.
Then there is the benefit of the human population as people in areas with high levels of air pollution have a 20% higher risk of death from lung cancer than people who live in less-polluted areas.
More than 3 million children die annually from environmental factors.
Over one million people typically die in car accidents every year, and many millions more badly hurt with often permanent physical and mental consequences.
Less traffic on the roads will reduce this together with reduced operating costs.
Less Violent Crime
With campuses, bars, schools, businesses, and streets empty, how many murders, rapes, abductions, kidnappings, sex trafficking, major drug deals, workplace accidents, and other violent crimes just will not occur? Though cybercrime will probably increase as more people effect financial transactions from home.
Economic Benefits
While the economic downturn will certainly have a cascading effect that hurts many people and businesses in the short-term, what about all the new businesses and products that emerge as a result?
In previous crises this is where the really exciting opportunity has been created.
How will shopping malls and other bricks and mortar operations be impacted?
Will hospital acute care crumble completely? This is the experience in Italy and China and is now appearing in Spain.
As habits are formed by our daily actions, it will not take long for new ones to be established. Highly successful people have learned to develop good habits so they become second nature. With it the opportunity to establish a new normal.
As Socrates wrote:
“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new”
Innovation and Expansion
The most successful, creative people in history are often those who create space to:
- Observe and assess;
- Self-reflect; and
- Access inspiration and insights to open to the opportunity for innovative ideas.
This has led to many of the biggest breakthroughs in virtually every area of life.
During our most difficult times, some of our greatest inventions or solutions have emerged — things that caused a leap forward and led to more profitable businesses, efficiencies, and better ways to enjoy life.
During this quarantine, how many new insights will come forth that lead to a greater quality of life for millions — or billions? How many new businesses will be born that add billions — or trillions — into the economy and lift more people globally out of poverty?
How will the need for the education systems change when Artificial Intelligence is used to replace not only mundane tasks, also those of many such as legal and medical professionals? How will children view the current job promise as re-structuring takes place?
Our Evolution and Healing
Then there is the impact on relationships. With fewer distractions and limitations on our movement, our focus is turning to family and friends. Whilst there will certainly be challenges living in close quarters with our loved ones, and some psychological issues around abandonment and loneliness:
- How many more relationships will deepen and heal?
- How many more real conversations will we have that lead to lifelong healing?
- How many people will make a deeper connection to their heart and soul?
- What will all this healing and deepened connection to ourselves and each other produce in our lives, communities, businesses, and the world?
A New Way Of Living
As the structures we have grown up with begin to crumble, we open to new and often hidden aspects of ourselves. In times of crisis, we often become closer and feel deeper within.
Out of these moments of chaos, a new order always uses the opportunity to emerge. Bringing with it higher values and aspirations.
What matters to each of us transforms.
These in turn influence governments and businesses, forcing them to add new services or changing their responsibilities — whether they like it or not.
So what new opportunities will emerge from the impact of this pandemic?
Mother Earth has her own ways of bringing herself back into balance.
The world will look very different beyond the coronavirus. My challenge to you is what steps are you going to Take NOW to support yourself and your family in this new era?
Prioritising quality of your life over the quantity of our possessions perhaps?
From a practical point: ensure you have more than one way for people to access your expertise so that you can adapt to changing situations and still reach out with your offer or service to those who need it — probably now more than ever.
Adaptability is the key to survival.
To support us, 21st March brought the transition of Saturn into Aquarius, after spending over two years in Capricorn. With this shift, we will experience an opening to more outside-the-box thinking and grassroots responses to the global issues we face.
Then on the 24th the new moon in Aries rose. It brought together three planets in Capricorn to create an explosive combination. The mix of themes are: mortality, ignorance and denial, destruction on a grand scale, hoarding supplies, out of control power and greed…
…as well as ALSO abundant caution, action that saves lives, moving forward in new ways, healing and transformation, and gaining clarity about where we should put our faith and trust.
Recognise the events we are experiencing?
Other Ways To Remain Connected
Should current restrictions mean it is not possible to run events or see clients in person, here are some ways to help deliver your expertise in another way or simply to change your mindset:
- 40 Days to Create and Sell Your Ecourse by Leonie Dawson
- Money, Manifesting & Multiple Streams of income — this includes suggestions for things you can do to bring in immediate funds
- 40 Days to a Finished Book — includes help with Kindle and audio versions
- Unsure where to start? Enjoy Lea Jovy’s blog which gives her top first step
- Feeling isolated? Join a supportive online community to help you grow your business such as Lea’s Great Group or Mark Silver’s Heart-Centred Learning Community
- Enjoy this excellent video from Brendon Burchard about how to start your day in a way that makes you as productive as possible, so that you enjoy manifesting your dreams and avoid the three most common ways that lead to distraction and self-sabotage
Should you be feeling anxious about the state of the world and the future of your business, you are not alone. The good news is that as an entrepreneur or would be one, you are uniquely positioned to provide the leadership and creativity needed to help people navigate these difficult times.
You probably thrive on uncertainty and change, which is why you chose to become an entrepreneur. So I will continue to provide you with insights dedicated to helping you find the opportunity to grow your business, your relationships, and your grander vision. Despite what is going on in the world around us.
The world is changing right in front of our eyes, the economy is changing right in front of our eyes, and those who survive and prosper will be those who Take Action Now rather than “waiting for things to improve.”
I know what it’s like to struggle, I also know what it’s like to have someone on your side.
Which why I suggest during your moments of reflection you consider these two questions: “what do I really want for 2020 and beyond?”; “What do we all really want next?”
In answering these questions you begin their creation.
To Enjoying Your Opportunity
ABOUT GREGORY
Gregory Reece-Smith, aka the Shamanic CEO, is an author, creator, speaker and shaman. He has worked in corporate and led technology companies worldwide; coaching fledgling organisations to those the size of the international operations of IKEA. Gregory helps conscious entrepreneurs and executives integrate Insights and Inner Guidance with proven practical strategies, freeing them to accelerate their business and their life.
To assist you accelerate your life by shifting your beliefs and patterns of behaviour about being the Master Of Your Life, download a copy of my latest book — the “7 Mystical Ways To Accelerate Your Business And Your Life”.
This story was originally published on my site at shamanicceo.com
