I think it’s safe to say that many of us crave a different day at the moment. And in the absence of driving into the sunset or jetting to a foreign destination, then maybe this story will help:

Years ago I used to work at a Free Trade Zone. It was an industrial estate in the middle of no-where, (about 25km south of Darwin). In all, there were about 10 of us that worked there, and you couldn’t have got a more diverse bunch. But what I love and remember most fondly about that time, was the camaraderie. Each day all of us – the gardeners, the former University Chancellor and Director, the accounts team – would eat lunch together. Some days we even played cards.

Morning tea invariably involved biscuits. Charlie who worked under the supervision of Pete, loved biscuits. In fact, he would eat the whole packet, leaving none for the others. (He was on the spectrum and did not have a strong filter around food limits).

So Pete made a rule. Charlie could only eat the broken ones.

The next day we caught Charlie SHAKING THE JAR.

The moral of the story is that sometimes, to get what you want, you have to shake things up a bit.

As I duck and weave in my life and business at the moment, I’m reminding myself to “shake the jar.” Rather than the interstate trip we planned, we went on an impromptu local excursion. A postponed speaking opportunity gave me time to focus on my coaching work. And I am learning to appreciate what I can from this.

The neuroscientist David Eagleman takes this idea to the next level. He explains how the brain thrives on change. His perspective is that Covid forces us to change our routine and for the brain, this is a good thing. His book, “Livewired – The Story of the Ever Changing Brain” reminds us to deliberately make changes to keep the synapses firing and our brains challenged and alert. The research shows that even brushing your teeth with a different hand, driving a different route, learning an instrument or language is useful.

Are you prepared to shake things up to get through this?
Have you considered doing something new and different, simply for the sake of it?
I encourage you to savour every crumb.