Bring the colors back.
Photo credited: Philipp Kämmerer (unsplash.com)
First and foremost to THANK the front-line workers (Medical care workers, Medical technologists, Bus drivers, Logistics and Facility supports, people in the F&B industry, safe-distancing ambassadors, enforcement officers, and people who are behind-the-scenes keeping the society moving and well) for their big help and effort in this unprecedented time.
The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic crisis
As we witness the various degrees of chaos, fears and anxiety around the world and amongst us in these critical months, there is no doubt that this pandemic crisis has tremendously impacted everyone – physically, mentally or emotionally.
The new norm (1,2,3) of working-from-home, keeping up with the news on the coronavirus situation worldwide, lockdowns, implementations of unprecedented governmental regulations, new lifestyle practices of wearing face masks and adapting to any possible change we might find ourselves into is now at play.
The New Norm – 2020
My new norm began with me starting my new job – in the same week as when the Circuit Breaker (Singapore) started. All enthusiastic to learn, I did not give much thought on how different my training would be as compared to my previous jobs. Categorized as an essential service, I counted my blessings to have at least met some of my colleagues before I was arranged to work from home. #Workingfromhome (#WFH) is when my real challenge began.
It all came down to an independent, e-learning in my new working environment.
Deeply thankful for my colleagues of being very helpful and patient (🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻), my supervisor shared an article on “Starting a New Job — Remotely” by Harvard Business Review (4). That article got me thinking.
How does the basic concepts of the five elements (the Philosophy of Life) apply or help us with learning and adapting to new circumstances – like this new norm?
As we are thrown off-course during these times, what could/would the possible reasons be? Which aspect(s) should we focus on to get our lives back on track?
[Refer to (4) Five-element 五行 (wu xing) concept & (5) Yin-Yang (阴-阳) polarity; For pictorial images of the 10 Stems (Yin-Yang of the five elements)]
Five elements:
Would the improvement in (…fill in the blank…) help me with this issue?
- Wood 木: Involves: Growth and progression (Direction, Gratitude)
Stems: 甲 (Jia) Yang Wood, 乙 (Yi) Yin Wood - Fire 火: Involves: Happiness and connectivity (Inspiration, Love)
Stems: 丙 (Bing) Yang Fire, 丁 (Ding) Yin Fire - Earth 土: Involves: Security and nurturing (Management, Appreciation of the Present/current moment)
Stems: 戊 (Wu) Yang Earth, 己 (Ji) Yin Earth - Metal 金: Involves: Altruistic and decision-making (Courage, Discipline, Recognition)
Stems:庚 (Geng) Yang Metal, 辛 (Xin) Yin Metal - Water 水: Involves: Wisdom, knowledge, (Analytics, Commitment)
Stems: 壬 (Ren) Yang Water, 癸 (Gui) Yin Water
Let me share a (general) story:
My #WFH
Coming into this new job, I knew that I needed to understand what the job encompasses in detail. I went through available resources (壬 (Ren) Yang Water: Acquisition of Resources within the company) that I can get a hold of for my work. I started reading materials related to my job. Not long, I have found my sense of direction (甲 (Jia) Yang Wood: Growth). As I persisted (丙 (Bing) Yang Fire: the Sun always rise from the East and set in the West), I became more secure (戊 (Wu) Yang Earth: the Mountain is as stable as it gets) or less unease. There were, of course, concepts that I didn’t understand. I took the courage (庚 (Geng) Yang Metal: Courage to take action) and sought help from my colleague through the virtual platforms.
The clarification and discussion (癸 (Gui) Yin Water: Generation of new or different ideas) of my doubts/ideas with my colleagues (乙 (Yi) Yin Wood: Peers, growing as a team and relying on one another) have brought about another perspective (丁 (Ding) Yin Fire: Seeing things from another or different angle) on the subject matter.
Over time:
Everyone would grow or benefit (己 (Ji) Yin Earth: Nurturing) from the discussions on making the workflow more efficient. As the new workflow gets incorporated into our operations and matures, it is recorded as a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP). These SOP then forms a structure (辛 (Xin) Yin Metal: having a structured way of doing things/a discipline) that paves the way for the rest to follow – in the near future.
When there are any changes or obstacles, we need to take a step back, identify and work on the gaps that threw us off-course. Once we identify the issues (any of the five aspects) to work on, we could soon gain our momentum back again.
Hope this helps. Stay tuned for the next article!
Take care, and stay safe and healthy!
References:
- Eberstadt, N. (2020). The “New Normal”: Thoughts about the Shape of Things to Come in the Post-Pandemic World. The New Normal in Asia Series. Retrieved from https://www.nbr.org/publication/the-new-normal-thoughts-about-the-shape-of-things-to-come-in-the-post-pandemic-world/
- Bowers, B. (2020). What the new normal in Singapore will look like after the Circuit Breaker. Living. Retrieved from https://www.lifestyleasia.com/sg/living/people/circuit-breaker-ends-singapore-covid19-new-normal/
- Yong, C. (2020). Coronavirus: People will have to get used to new normal, says PM Lee. The Straits Times. Retrieved from https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/people-will-have-to-get-used-to-new-normal-says-pm-lee
- Markman, A. (2020). Starting a New Job — Remotely. Professional Transitions. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2020/05/starting-a-new-job-remotely
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