When COVID-19 hit I was one of many people who was immediately impacted. Since I work on-site at my clients’ companies, suddenly there was nobody at work to train, nor any in-person meetings to facilitate. After two months I was despondent because I missed my clients and doing what I love. Then in July three clients asked me to do what I resisted for months because I was waiting for business to go back to normal: virtual training.
When I realized I would no longer be able to help my clients if I did not change, I decided to start over by designing and delivering, live virtual training. I spent weeks learning how to facilitate remote learning, including speaking with and getting encouragement from several business women who previously made the leap. What I did not know is that for every hour of classroom training it takes 20 hours of investment time to convert to online training. Since I personally did not have enough time to do it, I had to rely on my team for help to develop visuals and run the technology while I was learning myself. The time, cost and energy investments were monumental. Even more so then when I first started my business!
But the biggest, and most difficult change, was my attitude. As long as I kept resisting a change to virtual training - wishing the situation were different, and thinking that technology was an inferior learning tool - I would not be successful.
To change I asked myself, “why do this?” I did it because of my desire to continue serving my clients as a trusted advisor and to learn and grow. This purpose drove my decision every day to keep going when self-doubt and exhaustion begged me to quit. I reminded myself that not only did I survive but thrived during stressful times in the past. With constant encouragement from clients, colleagues, friends, and family I was finally convinced that this journey would be no different.
In the end, I’m proud to say that after ten virtual training sessions, the reviews are excellent, which is all I wanted for my clients – to have exceptional learning experiences resulting in positive impacts on their lives.
What obstacles have you had to overcome during these last seven months? Are you, like me, having to change your attitude to change your life and get the results you want during this upheaval? Admittedly, it’s been rollercoaster! Please let me know your story, so I can support you on your ride.
