COVID-19 has rocked my world no more or less than any other business or individual I know. We are all in a time where our hope and optimism are being challenged, where visions of growth are put on hold, and uncertainty makes us question what we hold most dear.  

As I reflect on exactly what COVID-19 means for my family, Clean Club Calgary, our clients, and the small business community, my thoughts turn to our values and how we can help. How we, as a business, can be there for our team and customers beyond our residential and commercial cleaning services. Suddenly, COVID-19 became a way for me to further tap into my values. With this, COVID-19 became:

• Compassion for ourselves and others

• Offer to help

• Visualize life after the pandemic

• Incorporate fun every day

• Drink wine

• 1% fear

• 99% love

COMPASSION FOR OURSELVES AND OTHERS

Without having compassion for ourselves as we face difficult decisions and for those who are impacted by our decisions, COVID-19 will win. With compassion, it won’t. The one thing that we are all seeing is the beauty of human connection and compassion this pandemic is bringing out in people. 

I myself had to lay off staff for a multitude of reasons in March and not one of them was a performance-based decision. However, it is still important that I connect with them. Once a week via Zoom, we connect and chat about how they’re doing okay with the EI process and their own mental health, understanding that this is (hopefully) temporary. We all understand the position we are now all in and share in our compassion for each other. 

OFFER TO HELP

Clean Club Calgary has been deemed an essential business and is continuing to serve Calgarians with professional cleaning and sanitation services. One way we have identified that we can further help a number of our elderly clients (beyond our specific Coronoavirus sanitation procedures) is by bringing key essential items to them when we come for their cleaning. This way, they do not have to worry about going out for groceries or other items. While we are not offering this for all our clients, we are constantly looking for ways to support those who may be at higher risk.

VISUALIZE LIFE AFTER THE PANDEMIC

A number of colleagues of mine in the cleaning industry simply closed their doors once this pandemic hit. This breaks my heart as, in talking with them, it’s clear that it was primarily a fear-based decision (rightfully so). To keep my mind out of the fearful zone while staying realistic in my hope, I wrote myself a letter highlighting what I want my life to be after this pandemic. This includes what Clean Club Calgary will look like. With so much out of my control, this specific task helps me stay focused on what I can control; specifically, my thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. Yes, some days are really hard; others, not so much, but I have people I need to be there for today, tomorrow, AND months down the road. By visualizing life after the pandemic, I’m able to stay in the optimistic zone as I take the very next steps to work with the day-to-day realities as they present themselves. 

INCORPORATE FUN EVERYDAY

This is key for remaining focused on hope.“Fun” doesn’t have to be huge. For me, fun is the conversations I have with my husband, or a loving touch and a warm smile. We also play card games every day. To keep things interesting, we have started a fun way of tracking who “wins.” This helps us remain lighthearted after days that are full of heartache.

I also think it’s key to bring fun into all business conversations these days. For instance, on zoom calls with my team, we all share in a gratitude moment. This is important as it allows us to remember that we are grateful to be together, serving our customers in a time of need. 

DRINK WINE

Always - drink wine! But in all seriousness, this really means that you should keep consistent with the things you did before the pandemic that helped your mental state. For me, a glass of wine a day has always been a comfort and continues to be throughout this time. For others, this could be as simple as keeping up with your medication or going for a walk. Whatever your “drink wine” is, continue to do it with even more purpose and intention for self-care.  

1% FEAR 

We are inundated with fear from the moment we wake up to the time we go to sleep. However, we cannot operate on fear for long before we crash and burn. Recognize that fear is a normal emotion to have right now, but it should not be all-consuming. Limit your news and social media, look for those voices who are being a light in the dark, and focus on filling your fear with love for your team and your customers.

99% LOVE

Love, life, and business? Yes. More than anything, this pandemic has taught me the importance of operating with love, both in my personal life and in business. It’s important I take a moment and infuse all actions with compassion in connecting with other business owners, my team and customers. Even as we make hard decisions and have rough conversations, coming from a place of love and compassion will help us all get through COVID-19 a little less worse for wear. 

At the end of the day, there’s not one person or business who will walk away unscathed by this pandemic. While there may not be much that we can control throughout COVID-19, we can control how we choose to act. It’s a matter of leaning into our values, showing compassion for everyone, and building community through safe distances and clean spaces. 

How has COVID-19 made you look at your values and actions differently? Connect with me today - I would love to hear how you and your team are connecting through COVID-19.