I love lessons in perspective – and Yuval Noah Harari (author of bestseller “Sapiens” – a book so popular that spellcheck recognizes “Harari”) delivered a great one.
Is a World Leader MORE worried about COVID than a small business owner?? According to Harari: NOPE! And he makes sense.
Think about it – MORE worried.
It’s unlikely they can be more worried. Let’s say you have spent your life building a business that depends on people coming in. Could be hair care or restaurant or oil changes. You have worked there, all-day every-day, for decades to build it to a point that you can have a comfortable living.
You fell in love
Got married
Have kids. Kids have school. Have clubs. And need food.
You provide for these loved ones by running your business. It’s all you have and it’s all you know.
Then COVID hits and people have to stay home. Your business/income drops 50% – 70% – 90% – 100% (???)
What does your mind look like. You are worried about what each day will bring. And where the money will come from. You worry about the people you might have to fire. People you are close to, people with loved ones and families. People that have worked for you for years.
You are going to worry about this from the moment you wake up until the moment you go to sleep. You are going to dream about it. Waking up from nightmares – in order to lay awake and worry about it more.
You worry about it when you kiss your kids as they sit down for online class
You worry about it when you are stirring your coffee and staring at nothing
You worry about it when you are driving to work…..and driving home.
You worry about it ALL of the time. The point being, there is no time you are not worrying about COVID, business, and the economy. Popular clichés aside – there is no such things as 110%. So if you are worried 100% of the time – nobody is worrying more than you.
Not even a World Leader, as the elected caretaker of millions of people, can worry more than 100% of the time. Their worries might be LARGER…..but not worry MORE.
So please keep this in mind when you are interacting with others. You don’t know what their day, week, or month has been like.
