Corona, Corona

Grey days look nice from inside. But they are not.

Some months ago, the only thing I would associate with Corona was a bottle of beer. The one where you never know if you get your wedge of lime or lemon with it or not.
And now? Corona must be the most used word these weeks. People are calling from Switzerland to check on me. How are the rules? How is life affected? My nieces are having home schooling and address their father as Mr. Teacher.

What changed? Everything. Normal life problems seem to disappear. And still we know that they will come back. Corona won't last forever. Neither the beer or the virus. Sitting home 24/7 is not healthy for my mind. Dogs are waiting for a slep trip, while rain is pouring down in the middle of winter. The sun doesn't shine in Norway. How often can you ski the same route until it doesn't reload your mind anymore?

Meetings are being moved online and work is as efficient as never before. Almost no phone calls as half of Norway is not working anymore. How to run a business where there seems to be no future? How to sell a summer vacation to people who can't pay their bills anymore? And how to keep up your own motivation as a leader in a crisis like this?

I heard the chief of the Norwegian Army sharing some thoughts on crisis leadership today. Get ready for the worst case scenario. Be prepared that this crisis will not be over in a few weeks. And what is the loss of money, if you can lose a man in the war? Well, I guess he puts things in perspective. But as we know from journalism, what bothers us most, is what is closest.

I wasn't afraid of the impact of the corona virus as long as it was in China or even in Italy. How could it affect our business in the middle of nowhere. Well, I learned a hard lesson. So yes, losing a man in war is worse than not being able to pay the bills. But only in the bigger picture. In my own little small world, life right now is about smaller problems. It is about paying the bills, go on with planned projects, taking care of our jobs and hoping for an open park this summer. If we only think worst case scenarios, we suddenly lose our creativity to see new solutions. I don't have to solve the crisis. I have to deal with it and its impact on my life and business. So staying positive and creative is the only thing which helps me.

So maybe taking another round on the same ski route is not creative anymore. But what if I allow my thoughts to lead wherever they want in this big winter wilderness? Or just jump into my home sauna and dream of a summerday in the alps. Corona will go over. And smaller problems will be important again.