All The Good Amidst the Bad

There is absolutely nothing easy about what is going on in the world right now. Each and every one of us is affected in some shape or form, yes some way more than others but at the core we are all affected. Every day we are surrounded by the horrific situation that the world is facing and while it is important to realize the terribleness of what is going on because it is very real it seems as though that is all we are inundated with on a daily basis.

Now being a coach right now is nothing compared to those amazing people who are out there serving this country and the world, the nurses, doctors, administrators, people working in the stores, delivery people, and every single person continually putting their lives at risk to help those who are affected but it is my job and to me it is important for one thing…. helping to keep the moral of those who trust me to coach them up. This is something I take fairly seriously even when we aren’t in the middle of a pandemic and right now its even more important.

There are a lot of ways to go about this but the number one thing that I keep coming back to not only for my team but for myself is remembering all the good that is happening in the midst of the chaos, because at the end of the day there is just as much good happening right now as there is bad.

I asked my team to speak about what they were most grateful, thankful, happy for, etc etc during this time and here are some of the answers I got:

- Bonus Family Time
- Still having a job and being able to work from home.
- Being able to spend more time with my kids, as normally after work/school/activities/etc we don’t get much time to hang out and just relax.
- Having more fun with my fiance than we ever did before.
- that I can still train and workout for my sanity.
- That I am healthy
- That I can teach zoom workout/yoga classes
- Friends and Family

These were just snippets of the good amazing positive things my team talked about.

It was a reminder to myself to think about all the good that is out there in the world. Despite everything that is going on every day we see so much good, and during my run today I started thinking about all of the small good pieces I’ve seen these last couple weeks:

- More people are getting outside and enjoying the fresh air.
- Families are getting to spend more time together: this is one that I really feel as my husband is around the house more to watch our son grow and change, this is something that he wouldn’t have gotten to do as much of cause of travel.
- Technology that allows us to still stay in contact with friends, family, and coworkers.
- The environment is benefiting greatly from us staying home.
- More people are waving and smiling at each other as we pass by at a safe distance than ever before. Why? because we have been forced to slow down and appreciate the people around us.
- People in jobs that normally we only take a slight glance at are getting thanked and brought into the light as how important they are.
- People are just saying thank you more.
- Cities are clapping and singing across the streets from each other.
- We are being forced to slow down and just enjoy the time we have, we do more baking, more puzzle creation, more family movie watching, more bored games, more card games, etc etc.
- We are connecting more. Nothing brings people together like realizing that we need each other for sanity and purpose.

So yes these are trying times, they are really hard. We are watching people suffer and watching many of our livelihoods being threatened but deep down at the root of everything there is still a ton of good to be had. It is that good that needs to be celebrated, that good that we need to remember, and that good that we need to lift up so that those who need to hear can hear it.

One of my athletes sent me something that I really wanted to share with you guys, she said, “you’re either going to be an achiever or a non achiever during this time” and to me that meant more than just staying motivated or goal oriented during this time (which is super important) but it really meant you are going to someone who only focuses on the bad and lets that overwhelm them or you’re going to be the person who uplifts not only themselves but others with the good that is still happening. I personally chose to focus on the good, believe in the good, and do whatever I can to uplift others with the good.

We will get through this…. there isn’t going to be anything easy about it and we’ve got a rough couple of weeks ahead of us but if we sit back and focus on the good it does become a little bit easier.

CHEERS AND STAY SAFE

Kayla

Kayla Bowker