A month ago, I heard an episode on the Mind Your Business Podcast with James Wedmore called “The NEW Normal & A 4-Step Self-Healing Process”. This episode really piqued my interest in thinking about what the new normal will look like and what are the things that must be let go in order to move forward. It’s rare I listen to a podcast episode twice, but this topic is of such interest to me that I decided to listen to it a second time around to write a post about it.
At the time, when I heard this episode in late March, I was in a more negative state and unemployment reached an all time high. A lot of Wedmore’s points are centered around not seeing this high rate of unemployment as a tragedy, but as a blessing for those who no longer have jobs to allow them to be awakened during this time; to work on and do the things that are of most interest to them. To slow down their lives and really reprioritize what they value in life. The positivity and optimism this episode was trying to give felt like a tone-deaf message when the state of the world was really suffering and a lot of lives were turned upside down. I felt like this episode was coming from someone who was projecting their privilege instead of trying to provide a solution and be understanding of the problem. But, I continued to listen to this episode to get a point of view that I was not being exposed to at that moment and was looking for answers on how to create this new normal.
After listening to it again, my perspective is different. As much as I still have negative thoughts and feelings during this pandemic, I feel myself becoming more positive and hopeful that this new normal will be much better. I’m all about finding the silver lining in the worst situation and during this pandemic that should be no different. This podcast episode reminded me of that. I am coming from a position where everyone in my household has a job so my perspective is not based on unemployment, but more so “what do I value most? How am I taking advantage of this moment? What do I want my life to look like coming out of quarantine and, ultimately, this pandemic?” The tone-deaf message that I thought I was hearing was really a message of hope and enlightenment to those who are capable and ready to receive that type of message. Wedmore does make it clear in the beginning of this episode that this message might not be for everyone and people will be uncomfortable in hearing it. But, for those who are ready to hear it, pay attention.
For me, new normal means letting go of things in the past and embracing a new future. Wedmore describes this time as a blank canvas. What are you going to paint within this blank canvas? You can start life from scratch and come out of this with a life that you actually want. There are three key takeaways from listening to this podcast the second time around that I want to incorporate in my life to create a new normal for me:
Listening to intuition
Even though I have to work everyday, my life is quieter because once work is over, I’m still at home. I don’t have the rush of plans to meet up with people or travel. There are moments where I’m sitting in silence more than I was before. In these moments, thoughts of what I should do in that moment flow through. Ideas of blog posts come through. Thoughts of how I’m feeling flow through. These are moments I want to listen to and take advantage of more because they guide me through specific thoughts or push me to do what makes me happy in that moment. I want to strengthen this muscle during this time so that my new normal is being able to listen to the things I really want to do, lean into the thoughts I have and make it happen. I want to be able to trust myself more and question myself less.
Creating momentum
Wedmore explains this notion of creating momentum by using a rubberband metaphor. This idea of taking advantage of this moment to stretch your abilities or stretch the work that you’re doing – creating momentum – so that when we are in our new normal, you release the rubberband and propel yourself forward. I want to apply this to my creative skills. I want to be able to dig deeper into my blog content and write about a variety of topics ranging from casual to serious in the moments that I feel them. I want to lean heavily into what is consistently going well and making me happy so I can project that out in the new normal.
Turning negative emotions into positives
In the other half of this podcast, Wedmore talks through four steps of a self-healing process that includes recognizing your emotions, evaluating why you feel those emotions, and if it’s negative pushing through that to recognize the truth in that emotion and come out of it with a positive. It’s important to sit with your emotions and go through them so that you can understand why those emotions are coming up. What triggered them? How will you turn that negative emotion into a positive one? I’m all about feeling my emotions and not ignoring them, but I never evaluate those emotions. I don’t want to bring fear, sadness or anger into my work (whether it’s my full-time job or my blog), instead I want to be able to take the time to sit with those emotions, push the negatives aside, and come out of that evaluation with a positive and put that into my work. Wedmore mentions that we need more leaders and light to create a positive space in this new normal to help others and I agree!
So, what does a new normal look like? Listen to yourself in what you want to do and take advantage of this moment to make it happen to create your new normal. Take that however it may mean to you: taking care of your mental and physical health, creating a passion project, starting a business, prioritizing family life, volunteering. This episode came at a time where if I had truly listened to what I was hearing, I would’ve started painting on this blank canvas sooner. But, it’s not too late to create your new normal – a better life than the one you had before.