Did the Unexpected Move Your Cheese?

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This week I begin a new season of SoloMoms! Talk podcast with a bonus episode that touched on the unexpected nature of COVID-19. Please listen and tell me what you think.

How prepared can we be for the unexpected? And how do we prepare? No one saw the novel coronavirus coming, I don’t think. Yet a certain mindset can determine how we can prepare and subsequently react to an unexpected disaster. This mindset can also determine how or if we can move on.

Bad things do happen in the world, like war, natural disasters, disease. But out of those situations always arise stories of ordinary people doing extraordinary things. ~~Daryn Kagan Click To Tweet

In his book Who Moved My Cheese, Spencer Johnson describes the attitude and mindset of the four characters — two mice and two Little People. This might seem silly but the story is profound. The story explains how we react when the unexpected happens and disaster strikes. When we lose the security of our way of living.

For example, all four characters worked hard. They found cheese, which represents an abundant life. But the mice managed their newfound abundance a little differently than the Little People.

So when they all woke up one morning and there was no cheese, the mice reacted in a very different way than the Little People did.

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The Little People were so engrossed in enjoying their newfound wealth, they lost touch and became careless. Then the unexpected happened. When they realize all the cheese was gone, they became discombobulated. Then they remained frozen, lost, and refused to face their new reality.

In contrast, the mice:

were vigilant as they enjoyed their newfound life
didn’t panic because they were mindful of inevitable changes
moved on after careful analysis, in search of new cheese (new opportunities)

The world as we know it has changed. We couldn’t have seen this coming but we will have to deal with the changes that are unavoidable going forward. Because life is full of the unexpected.

How will you handle how COVID-19 has affected your life? Will you remain scared, confused, or worse resigned to a future of hopelessness? Or will you examine where you are and move forward in search of new opportunities?