Pandemic = Pandemonium!

It is a terrible comparison. In the movie Ghostbusters the pandemonium in the street when the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man is walking down the street in New York. Complete pandemonium. Of course, the movie was 36 years ago, and it was a comedy.

What is happening today isn’t. As I write this, we have over 338,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and nearly 10,000 deaths. Over 1.2 million cases world-wide and over 70,000 deaths. This pandemic has become total pandemonium. Last week there were over 6 million unemployment claims filed.

Some of the calls I’m on estimate that over 11% of all restaurants will never reopen. An expert on the call things that number is very low. So, do I.

What is scaring me is the defeatist attitude so many are taking.

On Saturday night I spoke to Tom, a close friend who is the President of his company and a high school basketball head coach during the season. Tom was describing his company. Tom’s goal was to qualify for the Paycheck Protection Program Loans. He is going to pay his people for the next eight weeks while having them stay at home. In the meantime, he will strategize on how they will “officially” reopen.

He found it interesting that some of the people in his company had this defeatist attitude – the sky is falling the sky is falling. Those people who were athletes in his company, and companies he talks to where an athlete heads up the company, looks at this differently. They see this as a challenge. A big challenge . . . but like other challenges they’ve had in life that needed to be overcome.

I see the same with other business owners. The negative thinkers are positive this will put them out of business. Others are have gone as far as changing their business model and are providing goods and services they never had previous to March 1. I’ve seen it with some people, too. They are sure their little cough, aches and pains, or anything else is the start of the coronavirus.

I don’t mean to make lite of this. It isn’t a laughing matter. It is something, that will eventually go away. When it does life will change how we know it. Those who can make changes will survive it. Many will thrive it because of the opportunities that it brings. Those who can’t or won’t change, will fail. Simple as that. They will be victims.

So, what is the answer?

For us, it starts with prayer. But everyday for us starts with prayer. It starts for us by being positive of the opportunities in the future. Opportunities that we can’t imagine yet – but will reveal themselves to those of us who remain positive.

In the meantime, spread hope. Spread love. Be an inspiration!