So, I don’t know about you but when I heard that we will be social distancing for another 3 weeks and then it will be reviewed again, my heart sank even though I know it’s absolutely the right thing to do.

 

I think how we are all feeling at the minute is a little similar to running a marathon.

 

You have been running for a long time, but you do not know if you have even passed the halfway point and you cannot see the finish line… but you know it is coming.

 

All good runners will tell you that, in the end, it is your head that will get you to the finish line.

 

They say that when you run a marathon, you run the first 10 miles with your legs, the second 10 miles with your heart and those last 6 miles with your head.

 

In life, most of us have plans and visions we want to see to the end.

 

We like to complete the things we start and we all like to aim for something.

 

So then when life delivers a curveball that is totally out of our control, we think we have to give up on our plans and dreams.

 

I prefer to think of a curveball as a pause and a chance to review. How can I use this time to still move forward even when it seems impossible?

 

Tough times are rubbish, yet they do deepen our experience of reality and provide an opportunity to reflect on what is important in life.

 

I have been amazed at some of the things I have had to quite painfully let go of during this time and yet some things I have not missed as much as I thought I would.

 

Look at any fairy tale and you will notice that the central character often gets lost in the forest.

 

Frightened and alone.

 

But the journey through the forest has its own lessons – and then we come into a clearing; braver, lighter and with some new learnings.

 

It takes something major to wake us up and make us start to think about what is important now and what is the plan.

 

My plans look different to what I had expected but I still have dreams and a vision that I am not giving up on.

 

I am taking this time to read books, listen to podcasts, reshape my business model, and keep in contact with the people that are good to be around.