The forced slowdown we're experiencing is a huge opportunity for us to dig deep into the meaning of our life at this given moment and let it shape our future.

Amidst our suffering, sacrifices, and losses dealing with COVID-19, we are searching for the "meaning" of all of this to get us through. That search led me back to the words one of my favorite authors, Victor Frankl. This excerpt from a 1946 essay is exactly what I needed to hear:
 
That is the glorious responsibility of such a time, that we know how many difficulties we have to bear, and yet at the same time how many opportunities we hold in our hands! "He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how," Nietzsche once said. The consciousness of our unprecedented responsibility, which encompasses the future of one's own life, or that of a family, of a work, of a larger society, or of a people, a state even, of humanity, this true 'historical' consciousness of responsibility will allow the man of today to bear the 'how' of his difficult life circumstances, to shape them, to surmount them. In our struggle full of duties and responsibility.
 
These are the words of someone who survived a concentration camp, and they are filled with so much hope! We can do this!
 
With that said, after the initial shock, the panic, and the helplessness I felt in March, I finally emerged with a new sense of what this will mean for my 2020 and beyond. I became acquainted with the VUCA model, which honestly couldn't have come at a more perfect time. It is a useful way to determine how we learn and move forward from coronavirus. If you're not familiar with VUCA – volatility, uncertainty, complexity, ambiguity – read about it here. And for some great perspective on how you can apply VUCA to marketing, this article offers some #marketingmotivation to try something new.