In 1995, I wrote a book on managing virtual teams.
At the time, virtuality was in its infant stages.
There was no Zoom, Hang Out, or High Five.
The world wide web had only been invented in 1990. The internet, even in its excruciating slowness, still sparked the beginning of the virtual age.
I taught virtual teaming at IBM and many other companies to introduce new ways of living, learning, and working in a more virtual world.
Over the past 25 years, we have inched incrementally and iteratively along the road to a more virtual world. I have watched my grandchildren embrace and conquer this new way of learning and relating for better and for worse. Each of us has made our individual choices on how quickly and fully we would enter into a more virtual life.
Now, not surprisingly, the Coronavirus has pushed us into a new reality with no choice of how fast and how far we would accelerate down this path.
Everyone in the world is now required to live more virtual lives in order to avoid individual contamination and public contagion.
The question we must ask ourselves in this moment in human history is: How can we maintain our vitality in a virtual world in which a virus threatens our very existence?
This crisis has brought into sharp focus a critical requirement for living now and in the future.
It turns out that the key skill to improving health in every domain of our lives is to be able to generate new responses to changing conditions. This skill now has profound implications both existentially and economically. COVID-19 demands that we acquire and apply this skill immediately.
In this post, I will explore the various ways we can increase our vitality in an increasingly virtual world. I will suggest some beginning ideas for improving our physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual lives given the constrained conditions in which we are now living, learning and working. I would encourage you to generate your own responses to the changing conditions you are facing. As is the case in challenging circumstance, there are always opportunities if we are sufficiently open and creative in finding them and implementing them.
Physically:
Ok, you have heard 1,000 times that hand-washing, maintaining social distance, and not touching your face are imperative physical requirements for containing this pandemic. There are also many other opportunities this situation provides. This may be a time to learn to exercise at home or to go for long walks in nature. You may also take this opportunity to refine your cooking skills. Find new recipes, try out different ways of preparing food, try a meat-free diet for a week.
Emotionally:
Quarantines have their own set of risks. We get lonely when we are isolated. So, how can we connect in new ways? Perhaps now is the time to learn how to conduct more meetings virtually. If you haven’t tried Zoom or Hang Out or High Five, give them a whirl. Use Skype or Facetime to connect with the people you care about. Make those phone calls you’ve been promising yourself you should make. Take time to re-assess what’s most important to you in life. Write down your values and reflect on how you might be able to satisfy them in more meaningful and consistent ways. Play games and do puzzles with your family at home.
Intellectually:
Are there books you have been wanting to read but have not been able to find the time to read them? This could be your chance. Sit down in your favorite chair and give into the indulgence of a great book. You can leave the confines of your own space and enter into entirely new worlds your favorite authors have created for you. Are your kids suddenly under your feet 7×24 because their schools have closed? Set up a learning schedule that introduces them to subjects they probably aren’t getting at school. Use this opportunity to help them structure their time in creative ways. Discover the new world of on-line learning. There are tremendous programs readily available for your exploration. Take a virtual tour of the most famous art museums in the world. Use this time of having time on your hands to redefine how you want to live your life.
Spiritually:
No time to meditate? Here’s your opportunity. If you haven’t learned basic meditation techniques, go on-line and take a free course. There is a range of options from 5 minute meditations to hour long sessions. Feeling down because you lost your connection to your community? Have outdoor sing-alongs from your porches or in an open park. Feeling bored, restless or depressed? Think about what creates joy in your soul. Find a way to experience that joy without compromising your health. Listen to Beethoven, Bach or Mozart or whatever lifts your spirits. Music can be a real cure for the blues. Explore ways to improve your spiritual health.
My point here is to see this crisis as an opportunity to generate new ideas in response to changing conditions.
It’s a skill that will become even more necessary as change accelerates in our life. We know the universe continues to expand. Let’s learn from Nature how to expand our own universe in spite of black holes and dark matter. Here’s a chart that will help you generate new ideas. Each box, of course, has a physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual component so there are really 24 spaces (3 x 4 x 2) in which you can create new solutions.
Existential relates to the decisions you make on how you live your life. Are you going to be responsible and follow the guidelines for social distancing or are you going to go about business as usual and put others at risk—particularly the elderly population with underlying medical conditions?
Economic means the way you make money and pay the bills. Are there ways you can support people in your lives who have provided valuable services to you without coming in contact with them? Are there ways you can do your job and still keep yourself and others safe?
Living includes the way you shop, exercise, socialize, and entertain. Are there ways you can alter your habits and still maintain meaningful relationships and conversations? My wife and I, for example, just cancelled an in-person dinner with friends and set up a virtual chat over wine instead.
Learning means to continually acquire new knowledge and skills. Are there ways you can take advantage of all the advances in on-line learning?
Working relates to your job and career. We all have to work to make money and pay the bills. Are there ways we can work virtually?
I’m hoping we can use this frightening and devastating pandemic as an opportunity to generate new ideas for responding to changing conditions. Taking any action will give us a greater sense of control. And I’m hoping we can keep ourselves and others safe and healthy in the process. May it be so.
Well done, timely and beautifully written! We have begun virtual AA meetings via Zoom . Thank you my friend!
Great post Rick. Very timely and much needed. See you soon.