#5 Letter of Inspiration - Joy vs. Uncertainty

What happens after the lockdown?

"Invest in talent. In relationships. Invest in yourself, in things you love and that mean something to you." Says Wolf Lotter in his prologue in brand eins magazine 04/2020.

That may sound simple. But when you have just invested all your energy in building up a new business or feel powerless in the face of the economic pressure that is currently weighing on an established company, it is difficult to take such statements to heart. Nevertheless, people get used to new circumstances quickly.

For example, three weeks ago, the idea of being locked down at home for more or less 24 hours, alone or with the family, was unimaginable. Living, working, learning, sporting, cooking and sleeping, all in one place? How is that supposed to work? Today we have to admit: It works, even better than we thought it would. Everyone makes their contribution. Whether it is the Yoga Studio, which now offers online classes, or your favourite restaurant, which gives you a cook-free evening, since it now delivers. The fact is, everyone is trying to support. We have started to get out of our stress bubble and get involved with the needs of others. Stick together, care for each other, be conscious: That's how we manage the 24/7 lockdown.

An outlook into the future. May 2020, the federal government officially declares the lockdown to be over. It is 15.00 o'clock and with the last press conference we got the free ticket 'to the outside world' again. Will we, as predicted by many, break out into a moment of complete ecstasy and a storm of celebration? I do not think so.

Quest for Stability

The first reaction will rather be uncertainty. Can we really leave the house now? Can I go back to the office? Can I meet my friends and does our favorite café has opened again? As a first step, we will only carefully plod back into the world, similar to a baby who begins to walk. A world that suddenly presents itself to us again in its fullness. What was normal before is now unusual. There is no 'Go back to go' card, it just goes on.

Of course we get used to this situation again, but first we look for points of orientation. We look for familiar things that give us security in a world we once knew, which we now need to get use to again. Until a few hours ago, the Federation guided our actions and doings, now we are to take over again. No matter whether it is a question of resuming our own activities, an enforced time-out, or even a new start, what is needed now is one thing: familiarity.

Familiarity gives us security and creates trust. Extensive celebrations with many, once fellow-sufferers who are nevertheless strangers to us, does not. I am convinced that this time after Corona will pay off on what I call a relationship network. Moments with the inner circle, exchange and, above all, a reunion with the personalities who were really missing during the crisis. In the end, you suddenly realize that there weren't so many missing of them. Even more important to make an effort to help the few and thereby begin to rebuild the supporting pillars of your business and private life.

Longing for the Known

We will certainly feel the urge to travel, but only to hotels and places we already know and within our own country. We will have dinner, but without experiments, we will go to our favorite Italian restaurant around the corner. We will do most of our shopping locally and if possible at the regional weekly market. We want to maintain and pass on the cohesion we have experienced over the past weeks. Global is not what we need at the moment. Global is rather what worries us.

What do we miss from the Corona period?

Being able to follow one's interests for weeks on end. Reading, sports, cooking, painting, all these are activities that nourish our creativity and to which we have been able to devote ourselves more and more. The effect I noticed, it is good to have this duality of cognitive (business) and being creative. The two worlds serve each other. Back in everyday life, how do you maintain this balance? Time and space, these are the magic words. The best way to do this is to put our creativity in the context of our business. More stability in any situation is guaranteed by this balance.

Striving for recognition does not mean living out your talent.

The famous painter Vincent Van Gogh just sold one of his magical paintings during his lifetime. His talent was only recognised after his early death at the age of 37. In a collection of letters Vincent regularly wrote to his younger brother Theo, the genius and myth of the painter Vincent Van Gogh can be traced piece by piece.

Vincent lived in poor circumstances, his brother Theo was his financier and all his money was spent on paper, paints and painting utensils. For himself, he took only the bare essentials. Devotion, diligence and solitude were his companions. He once said that he was ahead of his time. He was, and yet he was not tired of carrying on.

The story of the young Van Gogh is intended to motivate you not to lose faith in your own actions, especially in difficult circumstances, and to indulge your creative powers as entrepreneurs today more than ever. Not for others, but for yourself. If the story alone does not inspire, then it is certainly one of five sunflower pictures Vincent Van Gogh painted. This one hangs in the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.

The inbox of our email accounts is full of 'inspiration' on all kinds of topics. This is where a mistake lies: Who gets our attention and more importantly, what truly inspires us? Inspiration is a tool I use to change my clients' perspectives, always with the aim of creating added value for clear business decisions. These impulses can show themselves in a 'Tour of Inspiration'. How that looks like is illustrated here.

So much for this special edition of the Letter of Inspiration. Feel free to share this letter with colleagues and friends and encourage them to sign up here!