Today I wanted to compare two historical moments and then challenge you to think outside the box. We are right now living in a chapter of a history book. The same way there is a dedicated chapter to World War II in any history book, we’ll see a dedicated chapter to the Covid-19 pandemic.
When we read about WWII, we know it lasted from 1939 to 1945, we know who was fighting who, and we know the number of casualties for the period. Right now, with this pandemic, we are still living in history, so we don’t know everything yet. Things are unfolding.
What we know so far is that a highly contagious virus is taking the toll on thousands of lives, is creating economic chaos, is creating spikes in unemployment rates, famine, and potential bankruptcies that might happen, especially in small businesses. We also know it changed the way we do things. People got quarantined for over two months, and now many companies are deciding to make workforce work for home until September. Some are even saying until the end of the year.
The simple fact that we are now locked in our homes 24/7 changed the way we do things. Our relationships with our family members changed, the way we groom ourselves changed, the way we entertain ourselves also changed, amongst many other things.
Like in WWII, according to one history book, things changed during the war. People had procedures for going to shelters; they knew scape routes. Families saved money instead of spending it, and rationed food and water. Right now, it’s like we are still in the middle of the war. We are locked down in our homes, which is pretty much the equivalent of going to shelters. And families are saving money and rationing food and water. Of course, we are; we don’t know what’s going to happen next!
When WWII was over, things didn’t “go back to normal.” Things changed. There was a new normal. The economy was terrible; people had to work twice as hard; the workforce demographic changed as included more women, which made the world have to adapt to a new reality. And people were still… rationing food and water. People kept saving money. Of course, they did! They didn’t know what was going to happen next!
So, you see, we are right now in the middle of a world transition, much like the period in WWII. A new “normal” will develop. Don’t expect to go back to the “previous normal.”
Masks will be packed in our purses along with our wallets. We will increase our sanitary concerns. We might see people moving to bigger homes, and maybe even creating dedicated spaces for home-office. We will see companies going back trends and exchanging the modern open-offices to the old fashion cubicles. Probably people might keep storing food and water.
And that consumerism mindset from 2019? Well, here is where I want you to think outside the box. How much of the “old norm” do you think we should keep? How much of that do you CHOOSE to keep?
I think our mindsets will completely change. People will look to plan and strategize more – lucky me, lucky you; you can hire me to help you plan and strategize. Most people will want to make sure they have all their ducks in the row from now on. In many of my previous posts, I talked about how much planning is capable of reducing anxiety.
I also believe people will save money more if compared to before. The consumerism rate will decrease, not only because of the economic downfall but also because people will want to be more cautious about the future. At least for the next 2 to 3 years. I believe people will work more on their personal and domestic budgets.
Only a history book will tell what will really happen. Right now, we are still living in history. We don’t know. But I am quite curious about what’s going to happen next. In the meantime, I’d love to see you take up my challenge and think about how much of the old norm do you want to keep. Whatever you decided, stay safe, and strategize.
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