Resigning and Resolving in the time of Covid-19

Resigning and Resolving in the time of Covid-19

In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity.

Sun Tsu

Written by, Kathy Shabotynskyj & Nafije Prishtina

This week, one of my clients needed a letter of resignation.  Yes, even during the pandemic, people leave their employers. It is a recommended practice to leave a job properly by submitting a letter of resignation. 

My client was afraid to tell the company he was departing. His employer is an air conditioning company and it is the middle of summer. With a short note of thanks and a date of departure spelled out in the letter, my client was prepared to leave on good terms. The blow-up he anticipated never materialized. The letter of resignation helped everyone accept the departure cordially.

Helping my client with his resignation got me thinking about the bigger concept of resignation.  Turning to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) I found another definition of resignation:

the quality of being willing to accept a difficult or unpleasant situation that you cannot change.

WOW! Covid-19 is offering an abundance of difficult and unpleasant situations that most of us have no control over. 

While we are facing this global pandemic, everyone is accepting new work and family challenges. We are all experiencing a global paradigm shift and adapting in real time.  At least that is the objective – adapt in real time. The pandemic is undesirable, and we all need to embrace and build our mental toughness muscles to adjust to the Covid-19 world.

OK readers, resignation is called for here in our time of Covid. We can all resign that for the most part, the path of the pandemic is out of our control. Much of what is happening to our jobs, economy, travel plans, industries and essential workers is all out of our control. But here is where you can act; I recommend you marry that resignation to resolve.  Another great word, Resolve - with this OED definition: verb [transitive, intransitive] -to make a definite decision to do something.

Accept what is and give yourself permission to do what you can or choose to do nothing and enjoy just being. Resign yourself to accepting this difficult and/or unpleasant Covid-19 situation that you cannot change. Next resolve to do what you can; make a definite decision and see where you can take yourself amid our pandemic. 

Like my client’s letter of resignation, once he had it, he was ready to take action. Here are a few suggestions to help you in resigning to our current pandemic and resolving to take positive action.

Let’s all make some new resolutions:

Take extra special care of yourself. As in all situations, you must ensure your own health and safety first, before you can be successful caring for others. What can you resolve to do to improve your health and happiness? Asking yourself this question is a good starting point!

New in my routine, to keep my mental toughness muscles in shape, is daily yoga and meditation. This helps my mental and physical outlook and in turn, it helps me help my clients. I’ve also joined an online book club and took on a Coaching project. Of course, there have also been many batches of banana bread, new programs planned and hours and hours of good reading. The ocean and pool help too – I love to float! What new resolutions can you create to take extra special care of yourself?

Invest in Personal Development. There's so much to learn out there, both free and affordably.

Mayra, one of my colleagues, is working to overcome her difficult career situation – she sells luxury cruises and other travel services. What a hard-hit industry! Mayra is a wealth of resolve – she is learning a new language, improving her professional skills by learning additional travel services, exercising regularly and eating healthier. She wants to be ready for when our situations improve. One other new initiative of Mayra’s, bringing a brighter and more constructive approach, is her commitment to the Shining Stars Coaching Circle.  

Make the most of yourself during this time and thrive during the pandemic. We will all be answering the question one day soon; “what did you do during the pandemic?” Get ahead of that question with your own initiatives and you will be able to say, I resigned to the fact that there wasn’t much I could do about the pandemic and then I resolved to improve my health and happiness by….

Nafijes’s Insight:

I love the quote you used, In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity. Indeed this is the best time for taking charge of “extra time” and use this opportunity for turning inwards, reviewing our goals and making more progress in areas of life we have full control over. The examples and suggestions are very helpful, and yes the more we ask ourselves the question ‘what can we do,’ the more opportunities we can see and attract. 

As a leader it is very important to learn to embrace change and problem solve. The only way to do that is by welcoming challenges -- looking at problems as opportunities, developing the attribute of learning to resolve, making decisions with our heart in creative ways. Whether you're looking for resolving your decision about finding a job, or keeping your business alive, remember you are not alone. There’s so much resources out there for us, we just need to be present and remember that “there’s rainbows after the rain.”

This pandemic requires massive problem solving abilities. Let’s make the most of the time during Pandemic and review our overall goals in life. Let's also use the following problem solving skills to help us overcome any challenges/problems that we can overcome.  According to PsychStudy

Here are the steps involved in problem solving, approved by expert psychologists.

1. Identifying the Problem. ...
2. Defining/Understanding the Problem. ...
3. Forming a Strategy. ...
4. Organizing Information. ...
5. Allocating Resources. ...
6. Monitoring Progress. ...
7. Evaluating the Results.

Check Out our Previous Blogs:

Don't Give Up...Etc.
https://shiningstarsconnected.blogspot.com/2020/05/never-give-up.html

Learn more about the authors:

Nafije K. Prishtina, Certified Life and Business Success Coach | Time Management Expert

Nafije’s belief that everyone can shine is responsible for her business, Shining Stars Connect. Her personal and professional success can be attributed to her tenacity and time management expertise.

Armed with a four-year degree in Management and Human Resources Development, Nafije enjoyed working in corporate Human Resources and in management with a start-up technology company. With a passion for helping others, she decided to become a Life Coach and began her studies at the distinguished Life Coach Institute of Orange County.

Since 2009 Life Coach Nafije has offered leadership consulting, coaching and training to aspiring shining stars. Her custom creation of the 4S system propels her clients to shine fully in life by defining and achieving their goals while improving their time & stress management skills. The 4S’s are Shining Stars Success System, a dynamic program she uses in her self-management practice and with her clients.

In addition to living her best life as a mother and wife in sunny Florida, Nafije is further exploring the connection between our brains and our actions in graduate school studying cognitive science.

Contact Nafije @ShiningStarsConnect.com to learn about her Time-Self management training to help you become a leader in life.

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Career Coach Kathy Shabotynskyj helps Job Seekers master the rigors of the job search. For twenty years, Kathy has enjoyed the privilege of working with thousands of job seekers, providing the tools and expertise that lead to a GOOD job. In 2001 the Sherlock Consulting coaching practice began and ran simultaneously alongside corporate roles in Executive Search, Staffing and Recruiting.

During the 2008 economic downturn, Kathy teamed up with Human Resources professional Jim Stokley, writing a comprehensive guide for job seekers, “How to Find a GOOD Job in 90 Days”  published in 2009.

Today, her work is on both sides of the employment equation, Career Coaching and Recruiting. Kathy’s latest dream is to become America’s Favorite Career Coach to continue her mission of sharing her gifts of helping job seekers and providing the hope and support needed to land a GOOD Job!

Contact Kathy@MyCareerTeam.com to learn about improving your Job searching-Interviewing skills and get the job/career you want.