Now IS the Time

Amidst the panic shopping, hit on the local economy, fear of the unknown and painful losses, I see a lot of good happening.

While many small businesses, mine included, are feeling the pains of quarantines, cancelled travel plans and the ghost town like cities,  several businesses are adapting their services to help their communities, being creative in ways to stay afloat and keeping their staff working. Omega Pizza in Granite Falls is a perfect example, while their dining room is closed, they are offering curbside pick up and delivery, not only of their delicious meals, but also groceries they can get through their suppliers. They continue to offer their valuable services, while helping the community stay healthy and fed. Their ingenuity will hopefully worked to  keep the staff employed in this small community.

In the Seattle area with a large part of the population employed by mega businesses, it is fortunate many of those people can work from home, helping reduce the spread and minimizing lost income. Amazon has really stepped up by  continuing to pay hourly employees who cannot work and paying 5 Million to help surrounding small businesses  affected by their closure. Not all business can offer this, but good for you Amazon.

There is a coming together by our politicians and big corp to work to respond to the crisis. Looking at ways to help alleviate the impact. Small business loans,  halted interest payments on loans, relief funds, provisions for unemployment, stimulus checks etc.

School staff are working to deliver and provide meals for low income students. So many are working to help those struggling to find child care and feed their families. YMCA is working with schools districts to provide  childcare to 1st responders, health care providers and high needs families.

People are showing compassion towards or elderly by voluntarily quarantining, educating others about the risks and protecting their loved ones. Costco has instilled morning hours for the elderly and immune compromised to shop first after the evening cleanings.

We are learning to become more adaptable and resilient. It’s an opportunity to practice survival skills and maybe more people will practice preparedness in the future. This may be a mild inconvenience that prepares and  saves millions in a future disaster. 

People are practicing conservation, coming up with creative ways to cut back on expenses. At ACE, we have looked more closely at our cash flow, cutting out unnecessary spending and portioned off our kennel building to conserve energy. We have been brought back to a state of awareness, which should never have been lost.

I see so many people in the community reaching out to help others, offering to shop and deliver supplies, share with others, their expertise, child care and so much more. People are looking for ways they can help others and putting it out there. Families are coming together to support one another in a time of need.

People are promoting small businesses and taking extra efforts to shop local. I’ve seen multiple threads geared towards making the community aware of local businesses still operating and services they are still able to provide. Shopping local is something we should support always, but extra awareness has been brought to this concept. People are showing they care for their small community businesses. I’ve even seen posts promoting paying service providers like their hairdresser, dog walkers and house cleaners, even when the service cannot be provided. Not everyone can pay for these services during this time, but what a great way to support your small businesses if you can.

In the dog training industry, coaches are offering their expertise and help to business owners. Ideas to adapt, sharing systems and processes, responding quickly to the changing market with with information to keep us on our feet. One of our main competitors reached out concerned with our well being and shared that they are referring people to us when they are full. This kind gesture meant so much to me and made me proud that we are forming a supportive training community in our area. We can help more people working together than tearing each other down. Not one of us has the capacity to help everyone, we need each other. We need each other to protect our industry from damaging legislation and regulations. Dog trainers can easily feel unsupported and isolated in this dog eat dog business world, because many work alone. But many of us are working together to help our industry thrive.

A Canine Experience and many other trainers are implementing video conferencing, online challenges and courses to continue supporting their clients. Something I’ve been looking into offering for years, but took this catastrophe to put in place. These systems will help us operate more efficiently allowing us to provide enhanced support to our clients.

I’ve seen many posts from people taking this time to focus on better habits, healthier diets, self care and education. It maybe good for us to take a bit of time to slow down and reset. I am working to develop better eating habits, meal prep to maintain better habits, self-care, cleaning and organizing, eliminating the clutter and as a bonus, I’ve almost completely quit my awful nail chewing habit, just took a little corona scare.

Yes there is a lot of negativity and hardships in these times, but you can choose to have a positive outlook. Positivity is physically and emotionally healthy. So much good is happening through all of this,  you just have to want to see it.

It’s a time for change. I, myself, have goals and ideas but never seem to have the time to implement them. Some changes I want to make are scary and hard to commit to, but with the slowdown of our business, now is the time. Now is the time to develop the online courses I’ve been pondering and figure out video conferencing. Now is the time to make our next big step. Now is the time to be resilient and push forward for a better, more stable future. Now is the time to mold our business into exactly what we want. Now is the time my partners and I are ready to take this step and work as a team. Now is our time!

And now could be your time too. If your not one of the thousands who work for a big company and your lifestyles being threatened, maybe it’s time to evaluate your goals, do some research, make a plan and take a step. Be creative, think of ways to adapt, consider ways to help others. What better time than now, while we’re practicing social distancing, with slow businesses and time. Delve into something that can have a positive impact on yourself rather than getting sucked into the panic and constant feed of fear and negativity. Make it your time.

And just think:

The air will be fresher with the huge reduction of exhaust emissions. The reduction in traffic has been amazing.

You will appreciate your social interactions more when we get back to normal life.

Many of you will have a new appreciation for your jobs.

It’s a great time to connect with your families and pets.

You finally have time to train your dog.

Despite all the Facebook drama, most people are caring, considerate and loving.

We are all getting a refresher on personal hygiene and hand washing.

We are being reminded of what matter most: Our love ones! Our health! Our friends and neighbors! Our communities. We the People!

People are promoting small businesses and shopping local.

You can simply join A Canine Experience Events and Chat Facebook Group for fun games and challenges to play with your dog.

I know some of you may not appreciate my optimistic outlook and may think I am not taking the virus seriously. I assure you, I am taking it seriously, just choosing to look at ways to make the most of it. It is easy to get wrapped up in the negativity with all the news and social media, which is so bad for your health.

Make a choice to stay positive and make NOW your time to thrive.

Please share your POSITIVES in the comments below.