by Kathy Mann
I love learning. It’s part of who I am and I’ve realized that life does not seem right unless I’m expanding my knowledge or skills in some way. It’s easy to satisfy this need in a full-time job and as an entrepreneur as there are always opportunities to create new offerings and collaborations.
However, COVID-19 has changed the dynamic of my work, as I’m sure it has for many self-employed people. I’m a writer and speaker with a passion for stress. I used to attend many networking functions and I had opportunities to do speeches and sell my books at these events. In the past six months, I’ve done some speaking online but it’s not really the same and it doesn’t translate into sales in the same way it did before.
As much as I’ve often felt overwhelmed by my ‘to do’ list, it is now shrinking to almost nothing and it’s terrifying. With the free time I’ve had with few work commitments, I’ve applied much of my energy to supporting my children with the shift to online learning. Now that they are returning to school, I have to make some important decisions. Do I try to resurrect my former path or do I take this opportunity to pivot my career?
Brain profiling expert Heleen Cronje has some interesting things to share about entrepreneurial brains. She says that we need a new challenge about every eighteen months and we will seek change if we aren’t sufficiently stimulated. We feel a sense of boredom with the work we’ve been doing for a while and a restlessness for growth. This could lead to rash behaviour like closing down a business or having a radical haircut.
Heleen advises that we rather read a book about a subject that interests us or sign up for an online course to learn something new. We are simply seeking to make a change to satisfy our brain’s yearning for stimulation. If we meet this need by learning or creativity, we lessen the frustration that accompanies it. Perhaps it’s time for a new hobby or creating something fun like a blanket, a painting or writing an article might suffice.
Life might have been quite boring stuck at home for several months when we are used to a full calendar, meeting people and making things happen. I’ve used the time to clean up an accounting mess that was bothering me, to sort out family photographs and to clear clutter from my home and my life. I’m at a point now where I’m ready to start a new chapter.
It’s common knowledge that we will have many careers by the time we retire. These careers may be aligned to an overarching life goal that we hold or they may be completely different. I know of a few people who have changed paths as a result of the pandemic, either through greater insight of what they want out of life, or out of financial necessity. We need to take great care when making decisions at these times of restlessness to ensure that we don’t end up in situations that we regret and cannot unravel.
I’m taking Heleen’s advice and I’m focusing on what I love the most – writing. I have a few books in mind and I’m sure that I can make great progress on them in the coming months when my children are out of the house all morning. I’m not making any sudden irreversible decisions and I’ll apply myself to some online learning and progress on goals that have meaning for me. One never knows what opportunities await from unexpected places. One can only remain curious and be open to what emerges through this path of learning.
Kathy Mann is an author and speaker with a special interest in stress management. She is passionate about guiding people towards their best lives possible in harnessing their strengths and innate talents. She offers a stress re-framing service, which shifts beliefs to be more constructive around stress. She does this by educating her clients about the variety of stress responses that exist and how we can benefit from them. Kathy's books Avoiding Burnout and Harnessing Stress are available at major retailers and online at Amazon. She is a wife and mother of two beautiful daughters and lives in Johannesburg, South Africa.
More articles by Kathy
