When I was forced to close my gyms I figured it was going to be a few weeks and I would spend it writing, learning Italian and hiking. I could not have been more wrong. I couldn’t focus enough to write. I finished my Italian class but haven’t really practiced it, and I baked bread and cookies more than I hiked. 100 days of lockdown brought 100 days of lessons and a rollercoaster of emotions for everyone who owns a business. Nearly all gymnastics clubs were closed. Whether yours was open, closed, struggling or thriving, lessons to be learned were everywhere you looked.
In your lockdown story, are you the hero or the victim? Will it be the experience that made you or broke you? The choice is yours, so make it now.
Here’s what I learned during lockdown.
Every cloud has a silver lining
I spent April trying to out-work a pandemic, before realizing there had to be another way. I spent my days trying to find cleaning products and researching how we could open. I sent hundreds if not thousands of letters to our governor, senators and the states task force on how gymnastics clubs can open safely. Gymnastics club owners like me learned that more of the same wasn’t the answer.
What changes can I make when I reopen?
Is the gym set up the way I want it?
Trying to never let a crisis go to waste I made some changes to staffing, changes to equipment set up and changes to our practice and class schedule. These were changes I probably wasn’t going to make if we weren’t closed down.
You are not alone
Government advice was confusing at best and the future was uncertain, but the consensus was that we were all there paddling in the same boat. Although no lobbying organization exists for gymnastics, The USGCOA had great information to help me get the doors back open. I was able to use their information and lobby our state house for all the gymnastics clubs. Soon there were other clubs helping me with the workload. Guidance was shared on forums. My accountant and lawyer had my back. My state senator (David Watters) made sure my letters landed in the right hands. We were united against a common enemy and determined not to let it win.
When I asked, “How are you?” I really meant it. I answered and empathized with those who did the same. A problem shared really was a problem halved and somehow the world seemed smaller. I learned from the clubs in Europe and how they navigated reopening. I felt I was going through hell and yet so was everyone else, so I kept going.
Location doesn’t matter
There’s hardly anything you can’t do when working remotely on your business. You can learn, connect, hire and grow. I can pretend to be working or I can never switch off. Gymnastics club owners like me learned that trust is everything, but location is irrelevant. It’s output, contribution and attitude that count and it’s obvious when they are present.
Although we couldn’t get together for practices, we could do a decent conditioning program online. Staff meetings and planning sessions were held on ZOOM. We had good input and made some quick decisions which were key to getting the gyms reopened. I learned that while it is not be possible to teach a yurchenko from my kitchen, it’s possible to change the world with messy hair and pajama bottoms. It can be done from the top of a skyscraper or my little cabin in the woods. It doesn’t matter where you are, it matters what you do.
Kindness always wins
It’s easy to be kind when everything is going well, and harder when you’re fearful of the future. AND I WAS FREAKING OUT. When we finally make it through this, I will remember who showed compassion and who showed their true colors. There’s no use waving contracts about when there’s no precedent set. The only fallback is decent human nature, and it futureproofs professional relationships far better than official documents or terms and conditions.
I learned that the other gymnastics clubs are not rivals. They are their partners, as are their suppliers, clients and colleagues. What’s good for the hive is good for the bee.
We are what we repeatedly do
This is a saying I use in the gym all the time and it became my mantra through lockdown. I realize that the habits that were picked up at the start of lockdown were likely those that stuck for its duration. That 3 mile walk before breakfast. That weekly family zoom meeting. That livestreamed conditioning workout. That Netflix binge or social media scroll-fest. Some emerged from their quarantine happier and healthier than ever. Others slipped into habits that might stick for their future.
I figured out that brilliant business owners know that slippery slopes are easy to fall down, so they stayed well away. I tried to use my time to pivot, learn, develop and create. I planned and produced and tried to help others out. I intentionally relaxed and recovered and tried to be ready for the comeback.
You choose how to tell the story
The definition of resilient is something that breaks down and repairs the same. “Antifragile” is something that breaks down and repairs stronger.
How will you tell the story of lockdown? As the time when you were rendered useless, powerless to do anything and at the mercy of your government’s decisions? Or as the time you decided to set aside what you couldn’t control and focus only on what you could. If everyone had to release a book with the title “Lockdown and me”, would yours focus on what you couldn’t do or what you could do? What you lost or what you gained?
I learned that there’s always another way to see it. Any setback or mild inconvenience; Any obstacle thrown my way is a chance to stare it in the face and dare it to beat me. If I can Remain in this mindset, it never will.
