“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorns have roses.” ― Alphonse Karr
For most people, the coronavirus pandemic has been an upheaval to life as we know it. After weeks and months of social distancing and shelter-in-place orders, most people are – understandably – yearning for a return to normal. But there’s a lot of uncertainty around what that “normal” will look like going forward. It’s easy to get sucked into late-night Googling, tired thumbs desperately searching for answers no one has yet. And with so much unknown, it’s easy to be overcome with fear, or anger, or sadness.
While all of those feelings are understandable and valid, there’s also something beautiful in the way people come together in times of crisis. You can see it in the people learning to sew masks to protect essential workers. You can see it in companies like Zoom extending their free platforms to increase accessibility for the most vulnerable. And in animal shelters emptying as people take advantage of this time at home to adopt a pet in need. These are the things the team at TriCom is choosing to focus on in their Positive Vibes Campaign. In this initiative, TriCom team members will share individual “positivity pledges” – actions they’re consciously taking to stay positive during this time – as well as things they’re grateful for. The team hopes to spread a little optimism in the face of so much uncertainty.
“We’re grateful to be in a position where we’re safe and healthy, and while we recognize that not everyone is, we hope to cut through some of the negativity by sharing our team members’ positivity pledges,” said Matt Sharples, CEO and Founder of TriCom.
For example, Carol, our Controller, is grateful to be home spending more time with her boys. If you’re a working parent with kids at home, you were likely thrust into needing to balance two (or more) full time jobs. You have your day job, the one that you’re actually paid for, and now the added titles of Homeschool Teacher, Short-order Cook, Personal Assistant, and CEO (that stands for Chief Entertainment Officer, right?). But for working parents who might’ve once lamented at not being able to spend as much time with their little ones as they’d like, this is also a rare opportunity to spend that extra time with them. And the bright-side of canceled extracurriculars and no commutes means those once difficult-to-schedule family dinners are now a regular occurrence.
Before all this, who hadn’t fantasized about what they’d do without a 45-minute (or longer) commute into the office each day? Maybe now you’re taking a little extra time for yourself before work, to exercise, meditate, read a book, work on a craft, or just get a little extra shut-eye. Our team member Tiffany pledges to use this time to be active for at least 30 minutes a day.
For many, life before the pandemic was a blur of activity. A rush to the gym, to the office, to meetings, to dinners, to bed, only to get up and do it all again the next day. It’s often hard to realize how exhausted you are until things suddenly stop. Maybe now you’ve gotten a chance to reconnect digitally with family and friends your hectic schedule didn’t have time for before. For some, this is an opportunity to reassess what they want their lives to look like once all this is over. Which pieces of the busy schedule are worth keeping, and which were actually just bogging you down?
Whatever your situation is during this pandemic, the team at TriCom first and foremost hopes you’re staying safe and healthy. And if you have the opportunity to look on the bright side of all of this, we hope you’ll take it.
Join the conversation on LinkedIn and share your positivity pledge with us today.
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