Optimism And A Bit Of Hope

Re-building, re-connecting, and re-engaging in a post-pandemic future

By Jim Cain

In March, the Buckeye Leadership Workshop (BLW) reconvened for its first real-world, in-person gathering at the Recreation Unlimited facility in Ashley, Ohio. Like many organizations, BLW has had to pivot and adapt its annual program to the ever-evolving requirements of a global pandemic. I was invited to be the keynote speaker, an honor for which I am deeply grateful.

Arthur Poulin / Unsplash

I began by sharing that, although I am not a trained professional in the mental-health field like many of us, I’ve had to up my game and become aware of some of the many mental health-related influences surrounding the participants and staff members of our programs. According to my friend and fellow BLW alumna, Bobbi Beale, the pandemic is the largest, universal trauma event that has ever occurred, affecting nearly 7.9-billion people.  Everyone you know, every participant in your programs, and every staff member you have, has been through this traumatic experience. But, along with that fact, comes an incredible opportunity.

As both organizations and individuals, we are in a position to do more good in this coming year than we have ever done before. And, with that belief, I’ve been preparing for the future. Reading everything I can on the subject. Talking to other professionals and practicing my craft, and here’s why:

A Lot Of Work Is To Be Done

A conference organizer visited me last fall so I could help her with some teambuilding activities for her upcoming workshop. After our discussion, she shared this story. Her first-grade daughter had an after-school event one evening. Afterwards, one of her classmates came up to her and gave her a big hug. The girl was mortified and said to her mother, “Mommy, you’re not supposed to hug other people!”

To say we have a lot to recover from in the future is no small detail. It is going to take a concerted effort to counteract 2+ years of social distancing, separation, and isolation. According to Susie Orbach, the physical and mental-health consequences of COVID-19 will reverberate for at least a generation. If I learned anything during the pandemic, the best way to combat an overwhelming feeling of powerlessness is to do something that makes me feel powerful. And the best way to mitigate an overwhelming lack of optimism is to do something that makes me feel optimistic.

Find Positivity

One simple way to increase the positivity, optimism, and hope in your life is to take a minute each morning and reflect on the things for which you are grateful. In the book 59 Seconds, author Richard Wiseman suggests that each time someone pauses to reflect on the things for which to be grateful, that experience can produce up to a month of positivity. That’s a pretty great return on investment for such a simple process. 

Next are the words of Martin Williams, a U.K.-based educator and co-author of the book 101 Games to Play While Physically Distancing (ISBN 978-8-7447-5657-4).  He says, “We live in a time when things valued in the past, like socializing, playing games together, hugging, shaking hands, and even something as simple as physical proximity, have become a source of anxiety and fear for some people. We need to reintroduce these skills and experiences (lest they be lost) as soon as possible and in the safest framework that we can.”

And finally, this insight from the book Furry Logic – Wild Wisdom by author Jane Seabrook: “There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about. 

The point in sharing these insights is simple. We have plenty of work to do, and we have plenty of new things to learn. In many ways, as camp professionals, educators, parents, and invested members of our communities, we are in a place to do great things if we only have the courage and willingness to try. Don’t let the quest for perfection become the enemy of the good that you can (and should) do. Every act of kindness you perform plants a tiny seed in a world that has been severely lacking such things for far too long. It’s time to get started. If you’ve been waiting for a sign to begin—this is it! Good luck and Godspeed. The future of our world is counting on you.

Teambuilding guru Jim Cain is the author of 26 books filled with team- and community-building activities from around the world. Learn more about his work at www.teamworkandteamplay.com.

For more information about the Buckeye Leadership Workshop visit www.buckeyeleadership.com.