Here comes the follow-up to an article I published on my blog and on LinkedIn a couple of weeks ago, in what is now known as the pre-Corona age.
I have decided to make a series out of this. Not because I am obsessed with Tina Turner, but because I believe all lives are all about love. It is love that remains when everything else goes to pieces.
In private life and in business. There is no difference. It is all about loving the people you surround yourself with and if there is nobody around you, then it is very much about loving yourself.
Let me take it from here, today. I have been a solo-preneur for more than ten years now. Like every other full-blooded entrepreneur, I wake up every morning with an idea which, in my view, is sure to make an impact on the world
What’s love got to do with it, really?
How does this apply to the current crisis? Well, instead of “saving lives by just sitting on a couch” as some people call it, and watching Netflix, I hustled even harder than before. In addition to my remaining client work, I am spending my entire time drafting concepts for my online courses – which I should be starting NOW, because everyone does it, right?
Why is everyone giving away online courses for free? Well, some people do it because they really want to do good in a situation where a lot of good is needed. And, if you are not a doctor – the only category that can make an actual difference nowadays – this is the perfect moment to spread love, and support people with something you are good at – your skills and your products and services. It is also a very smart way to grow your network and to build your brand, as we wait for better and kinder times. In a post-Corona world, money might not have the same value it had before, and we will all have to start from scratch again. A good brand and a solid network might be a new form of currency. Who knows?
In my case, this means that I get a growing demand for my online coaching format called “Step out of your comfort zone and own our story”. I created it in pre-Corona times to help my fellow professionals reflect on their identity and find effective ways of communicating it. It is the dreaded “comfort zone” that prevents us from owning our stories, and let our career narrative be defined by others. It is my goal to provide my audience with the right tools to overcome this and have a clear picture of their own professional standing.
Why the sudden demand for this format? Because people have time for it and, as I mentioned above, smart and brave people already think about who they are and why they matter, and what they want to do with their life when this pandemic nightmare will be over and we all have to start from scratch. We don’t know what will happen to the stock market. We don’t know what will be left of our companies and our capital. There is one thing for sure which will remain: our personal history and our determination to push forward as a civilization.
So, while I was busy building my coaching offer and telling my friends and family proudly that I had never been busier in my life, and I was craving for the moment where I could finally sit on the couch, I stumbled over the LinkedIn article from my colleague Victoria Loskutova who was calling out to me:
PLANET TO STOP. People to stop running around like someone has stuck engine in their asses. Progress to slow down. Messages to stop flooding into my messengers, emails and out of my ears. Headlines to stop blinking in front of my eyes with their “Start being cool!” “Get your shit together!” “Make impossible possible!” “Dream big!” “Eat less, do more!” “Hustle like you mean it!” “Earn your first million and die young!” Deadlines to stop reaching my butt.
She provided a very harsh wake-up call, reminding that this is the time to stop, shut up and to take a break. For our own sake. This is about self-care.
So, where do I go from here? I will focus on my ongoing client work and invest my remaining energy into supporting each other the best we can. I created private groups on Linked In and on Facebook which help me to find out the right format at the right time. Calm and collected.
Please reach out to me if you wish to be part of my journey. It is very much appreciated.
