Moving Forward Within The Coronavirus Paradigm Shift

Today is March 31, 2020, and the Coronavirus impact in the United States, where I live, is underway. The world-wide Covid-19 news changes exponentially, forcing us to respond to a new reality every few minutes.  Your reaction may be to hoard toilet paper, ignore social distancing, something in between, or something more extreme. 

It all comes down to who you are in each new moment. ”You” may have different degrees or levels of understanding. Your awareness may fluctuate up, down, and sideways, as different aspects of your life dissolve around you. 

One positive thing that this crisis helps us see, in stark terms, is the reality of the “butterfly effect”; that we are indeed all connected as a human species. We are all alive in the same world, we all love and experience loss, and a choice you make can impact someone on the other side of the globe. 

My feeling is that this event has now become a new paradigm of our collective consciousness. It is akin to a loss of innocence. Since our awareness has been raised to a new level, we can never go back to what was. The best thing to do is move forward with the understanding that uncertainty is the only thing that can be counted on for the moment. 

When one accepts a new level of uncertainty it then becomes the new norm… this surrender to a new reality allows us to move on into a new landscape with more grace. 

This attitude is what has helped me thrive as a traumatic brain injury (TBI) survivor for over 41 years, and it may help you, too. At first, I did everything I could to go “back to normal.” 

I was in denial, and tried to get back the life I had before the accident, such as going back to my old job. However, a paradigm shift had occurred, and all efforts to recreate the past were inevitably frustrated. It is only when I accepted my new reality, the new “norm” that comes with having a TBI, that I was free to move forward, and even experience hope, happiness, and gratitude. 

Of course, I still experience the full range of emotions as anyone else, but again, it comes down to who I am in each moment. Do I allow myself to be carried away on the emotional roller coaster, or do I focus on something else? 

I admit, sometimes I get into a rage. But it passes. Who am I in another moment? Well, I may write a letter like this one, something to reach out to others, and hopefully inspire, or even just connect with you so you know you are not alone!

We will experience great disruptions in our lives, some heartbreaking and some inspiring. The form in which Covid-19 impacts us is changing daily. Both good and bad opportunities will emerge.

There are always risks involved when one makes a decision. We cannot see the future. 20/20 vision only comes when we look back on our lives in hindsight. We can usually see that we may have made some wrong or poor choices – please practice putting more emphasis on giving yourself credit for the successful ones you have made.

Remember that inaction, or not making a choice, is a way of making a choice… to not act. This is fine if you are doing so intentionally, but another thing when done because you are frozen with fear, which you may regret down the road.

Do your best to weigh every option that you can, and decide what to do and/or not do, but make a decision and once it’s made you have to burn the bridges and move forward. Be always grateful and thankful for every bit of kindness and help that is offered to you. And we will get through this, together.

 MUCH LOVE AND INSPIRATION

FFJ

PS – Due to Coronavirus social distancing guidlines, I am not doing public speaking at the moment. However I am available as an inspirational guest on radio, podcasts, etc.