01 Apr E42: Map or compass for a new normal
E42: A map or compass for a new normal?
When fact is stranger than fiction.
In 2013 I read a piece of science fiction.
The family had gathered to celebrate the 95th birthday of a well-loved grandfather. All dressed up, as he walked out into the hall he faced screens from around the world as children, grandchildren, close friends, and relatives bounced in from Singapore, the UK, Argentina, Mars, and Canada.
It sounded surreal. Yet today, we celebrated one of these virtual birthdays as the world across practices personal distancing particularly away from the older members of our community where the infection and death rates from Covid-19 are highest.
Part of it is this virus. But part of it is the advances we have made in technology that allow us to participate together whether we are separated by doors, walls or oceans, and the willingness and familiarity of people from 92 to 2 to embrace a new way of staying connected.
We are all practicing physical distancing, but I hope you are noticing a greater coming together in families and communities across the world.
Welcome to the 1st-anniversary edition of Tilt the Future.
Gratitude and celebration
When I was planning this episode of my podcast Tilt the Future many weeks ago, it had a very celebratory feel:
- 2043 views and counting
- 60 episodes & trailers published
- a range of topics covered that affect Generation Z and their futures – from ‘climate catastrophe’ to ‘Never too young to lead’.
I am proud of the people who have been willing to be interviewed. And the doors and conversations it has opened with so many more listeners and guests.
Perhaps my proudest moment was sharing the map of all the downloads with my Mother. There were views from Durban, South Africa, Buenos Aires, and Tomsk. My southernmost has been Queenstown, NZ all the way to Reykjavik Iceland in the North. But my heat map runs hot across Europe, Asia, and North America. Thank you all!
That was then.
But that almost feels surreal.
Like it was a script written for a different time. Yet all the plot-lines are strangely familiar.
If you are a regular listener to Tilt the Future, you will recognize the core message of our four pillars:
- Understanding and incorporating new technology as we move into the Future of Work
- Foundation skills
- Positioning ourselves to take advantage of the change by understanding how to manage transitions
- Well-being
Coronavirus and Covid-19
Today we are living in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. And for the first time in my living memory, the world has shut down in peacetime.
Like World Wars 1 & 2, few among us will not be affected in some way.
This is what it feels like to be living during the making of ‘his-story‘. It is a flashpoint event – one that many people across the globe will collectively be able to relate to decades from today.
Life will never return to normal.
From now on there will be a new normal.
We will all know someone …
When this is over, we will each probably know of someone or someone who knows someone:
- who has fallen victim to this disease
- who has lost their job
- whose last semester in high school or university ended in e-learning and social distancing
- who has had to postpone their wedding
A new vocabulary
We will all have picked up new vocabulary & social norms: epidemiology, flatten the curve, shelter in place, social distancing, wash your hands.
More importantly, we will also have picked up a few good habits:
– gratitude for nature
– appreciation of time spent in the company of loved ones
– a re-balancing of our waking hours in favour of time with close family over work hours
Reset
Personally, I find I am going through a reset.
I have just returned from a journey to India. After making the arduous 40+ hour journey back as borders were closing and airline after airline cancelling their scheduled flights, I am in a 14-day quarantine. Days blend into each other, especially without company and personal interactions.
Valuing this hiccup in time
It would be easy to get lost in a world of jet-lag and Netflix. But I recognized from my work on transitions that maintaining a rhythm to my days would be the most productive way to manage this uncomfortable situation.
That being said, I also want to acknowledge this special period. Life will never be the same and I want to acknowledge this special hiccup in time.
Using my compass to build a new map for a new normal
I decided to use the opportunity to reset some of my habits and surroundings. Setting up my office space to function better for the increased number of videos and audio that I am recording, consciously incorporating better movement by incorporating more hydration and once an hour break.
And of course, finally having space to process & publish the many hours of video and voice that I have collected over the past months.
In some ways, I am using a compass as my guidepost, to offer me a framework of work, gratitude, well-being and action.
And then I am building a new map for this new normal.
Community
As I (virtually) look around, I see that I am not alone in this methodology. Many others are trying to make sense of this crazy world and this virulent virus.
On the flip side, we are also seeing a return to a slowing down and appreciation of the most important things in life: family, friendships, cooking, conversation, and camaraderie. Could this be the basis for a new normal?
Creativity
And creativity. From re-purposed lyrics for days of quarantine and curfew to cat memes to Tik Tok challenges, there is a healthy dose of creativity being displayed across the globe.
I am impressed with the number of GenZ students who are using their initiative. They are working creatively to solve the problems of PPE, a mask shortage and the need for more ventilators. We are seeing design students step up with ways we can fashion enough protection to make it through the grocery run. There are students 3D-printing parts to McGyver scuba gear into initial phase ventilators. These are people who are not waiting for a roadmap to the solution – they are creating the roadmap.
In a world where there are more questions than answers, it feels good to be doing something.
Encouraging
We understood the problem.
Most of us have obeyed our governments and are trying to help save those most at risk by flattening the curve.
Within the space of a few weeks, most of the world has moved to work from home so that those on the front lines of healthcare and the supply chain can operate with a lower risk of infection.
This has been encouraging.
Because it is a dry run. It shows us what is possible when our lives are at risk.
And now we know that when this is over, we can come together and make big decisions collectively and quickly to rescue the planet as we organize for Climate Catastrophe.
Pod buffet
This special episode is also being aired on Podcast Buffet, which is a smorgasbord of 5-minute clips from a cross-section of podcasts. These podcast have only 2 things they have in common. The first is that we all learned to podcast together in the Akimbo TPF (The Podcasting Fellowship) classes – an online class. The second is that this group of students has created strong friendships and a community that supports each and has each other’s backs.
I hope you will take the time to visit Pod Buffet. And explore the variety of over 35 podcast topics that passionate people are sharing – topics as diverse as armchair yoga, alpacas and art gallery visits to Parenting and the Future of Work.
Figuring out how to deal with the expected and the unexpected
Dial into my podcast Tilt the Future where we continue to discuss the 4 core pillars:
- Dealing with change,
- Understanding and getting better at transitions,
- Managing self-care,
- Leveraging technology and incorporating it into our daily lives
How we get ready to deal with the unforeseen events that may come in and disrupt our carefully laid plans. How we recover and embrace a new normal that works for us.
I do not have all the answers, just lots of questions! But together we can help each other deal with the good and the difficult that life throws at us.
Come join me as we Tilt the Future in our favour.
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