Staff Corner: From the remote desk of Cara Simon
Current location: New York, USA
"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass. It's about how to dance in the rain." Vivian Greene
What a whirlwind the past few weeks have been for us all. First, I’m wishing all of you the best today and every day to follow. Please do your utmost to keep healthy, be safe and take care of you and those around you.
On my run today, and by “run” I mean you could walk faster than I run… but to provide context to the following – I ran, I thought, I wrote.
Generally speaking, when I exercise, I usually get some good “think” time in – not sure about you but it really works for me. I tend to problem-solve, strategise about business (exciting, I know) and think about the future. But lately, I find myself daydreaming more, a luxury in its own right, and re-evaluating what is important in my life and focusing on the here and now. One thing we cannot do now is plan, something I find extremely challenging… but it’s also a positive outcome of current events.
I’m really enjoying this small but substantial change in my routine – I am able to exercise more, spend time with my family and even cook (those of you who know me, know I do not cook… like ever, but times are changing). It’s all about the silver linings in COVID days.
What are your silver linings? Have you got one yet, or better yet more than one? And if not, what are the roadblocks or doubts you have to see a silver lining?
In a very short time our company, as with many other organisations, was significantly rocked – with little to no time to plan for the sway. In just two weeks, our team went from business as usual, to working remotely, and in the period of 48 hours we were forced to downsize and make extremely hard decisions.
What’s the light at the end of the tunnel? At times it is difficult to see but if I/you look hard enough, there is always a light, always an opportunity and always a way to make a change and always something to learn. But be patient - the light is just not always apparent when you expect to see it.
We have decided to take this time to regroup, redesign and reinvent ourselves. That is our silver lining and light at the end of the tunnel.
Another silver lining for Learn International and myself has to do with wanting to start a Learn International Staff blog. I’ve wanted to do this for ages, but it always was put on the long finger (Irish saying for back burner – to postpone something). So I asked our team if they would be open to blogging, and to use this downtime to show a bit more about Learn International – the small but mighty team we are. I also hope that our blogs will enable us to help and support one another through these difficult times and perhaps provide ideas, thoughts and support to you, our readers.
Welcome to the Learn International Staff blog series.
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