“Change is the only thing constant in life.” – Heraclitus

Another week (that felt like a month), is almost in the books. How are we all feeling about our current “new normal”?

Stir crazy? Yep.

Nervous? Yep.

Disappointed that your Junior in high school doesn’t have one class where you can help him with his homework? That’s an ego-check for sure.

Encouraged?

How many of us during these last few weeks would use the word encouraged, hopeful or optimistic? It can be hard to be positive when we are all adjusting to our current situation.

This is tough, no doubt. The COVID 19 case count is going to continue to rise: let’s all be mentally prepared for that. The count of people who have passed away is going to continue to rise. There is a high likelihood that we will all know someone who passes away. We had that happen with a co-worker of my sister-in-law. Sad. Just really sad.

So, with that preface, why be encouraged, hopeful, optimistic? This is where faith in the human spirit comes into play.

“Lead, follow or get out of the way.” – Thomas Paine

Individuals and companies are doing amazing things during this trying time.
1) Johnson & Johnson will be ready to go to clinical trials in September (This is fast!!).

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/30/johnson-johnson-to-begin-clinical-trials-on-coronavirus-vaccine-candidate.html

a. They aren’t the only company working on a vaccine, medication or treatment. We are going to get lots of shots on goal with this. There only needs to be 1 that hits the back of the net.
2) Teachers and students have made the adjustment to teaching, learning and communicating virtually. My 4-year-old had a video conference with her teacher and classmates where they told stories, sang the days of the week and laughed with each other. The fact that teachers are doing this on the fly is a testament to how smart they are and how much they care.
3) Many small businesses, ours included, implemented Social Distancing, to help stop the spread. We’ve figured out office spaces in our homes, how to make sure our internet doesn’t get overloaded and how to stay off each other’s nerves. This is HUGE!!!
4) Companies, such as GM and others, are changing their businesses to manufacture ventilators & masks. Distilleries have shifted to making hand sanitizer. How awesome is that?

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/distilleries-around-us-shift-production-hand-sanitizer-180974502/

We have all heard of countless positive stories from Chipotle giving away 100,000 burritos to healthcare workers to the shift to telemedicine. People are smart. The virus is an unprecedented opponent, but we will make it through.

“Lead, follow or get out of the way.” Which role are you going to play?

Jesse Niederbaumer
Vantage Financial Partner & Senior Advisor