In the last couple of days the world has gone a little crazy. Things that we know and count on have shifted and reshaped with lightning speed.

There is one thing in common with my clients this week, and that is the fear of not knowing.

At this moment, it’s not the Coronavirus that is scaring the shit out of people. It’s the fear of not knowing what is going to happen that is scary.

It’s the fear that we don’t know what is happening to our money.
It is the fear that other people are making the wrong choices right now.
Or that we are making wrong choices and not even knowing it.
It’s fear of death and losing a loved one.

Here is the underlying truth…

We have never known what the hell is going on.
We’re just under the illusion that we do.

All along we have assumed someone will buy our services because they have valued them in the past.
There was never a sure thing.
There was never a guarantee.
There was never control.

But now the wind has blown up our skirts, and the truth shows itself, and we are reminded that we have control over only one thing.

We are always in control of how we react to things.

We are in control of our own thoughts feelings and actions.

We are all bobbing out at sea keeping our heads above water.
And we can choose to get on our surfboards and feel down into our feet and continually shift our weight back and forth to ride the wave.

Or we can just bob aimlessly in the sea of misery.

I think surfing sounds a whole lot more fun.

There is the choice of letting life happen to you or carving out your own path.

We can choose inaction because of fear. Because doing nothing is a deliberate choice.

Or we can choose deliberate creation.

Right now you can choose who you want to be in a crisis.

I think it feels better to be a helper and the leader of my life.

I know it’s the older folks who are in more danger of death with the virus, so I made a donation to our local Friendship Trays/Meals on Wheels.
I don’t feel like a hero, but it makes me feel better than bobbing aimlessly.

And now I will take the next step and find someone else to help.
Because I don’t have to figure this whole thing out right now.
I just have to decide what to do next.

When you feel financially scared, acting out of your abundance rather than scarcity creates more abundance.

All you have to do is decide what the next step will be.

In the last couple of days the world has gone a little crazy. Things that we know and count on have shifted and reshaped with lightning speed.

We want to take action to protect ourselves and our family.
We want to stockpile enough toilet paper to last until summer.
We want to know our jobs will still provide for us.
We want to know our retirement accounts will allow us to be old and forgetful and yet still safe.

Stop.
Take a breath.

It is okay to not know what to do.

We don’t know what is going to happen.
And that’s okay.

Yes, the market may be spectacularly down.
But money is still just an exchange of value.

There is nothing of greater value than the ones you love.

A pandemic has a hidden gift inside of all the misery and fear:
This is the time when we gather our loved ones close.
We stop the daily grind.
And we love.

We hug necks and remember to be thankful they are here.

I was at the grocery store this morning and noticed this:
The people who were upset and cut in line and were arguing with people were the ones who are living in two worlds.

They are living with one foot in their normal life and one foot in the new topsy turvy pandemic life.

That’s what was causing their internal conflict.

They are thinking that things should be one way and they aren’t.

It’s like they are living in a world where things are black and white. And today the things they think should be black are not black OR white.

They are without color at all.

The people at the grocery store who smiled at each other and talked with strangers in line were the people who are surrendering to the moment.

We don’t know what this is all about and where it will end up and who will be alive and who will die.

And that’s okay because that’s where we are right in this moment.

Wait a few days or a few weeks to make any major changes in your life…
Money or otherwise.

This is the time to cocoon as much as you can.

Draw your people close.

Personally, I am not even checking the stock market. Those are my long term savings.

Personally, I am so thankful I have the money to buy some shelf stable milk and gluten-free crackers to be prepared for quarantine.

Surf the changing tides.
Feel all the feelings.

And when we get more information, then decide what big steps to take.
If any.

Sure… buy your Charmin now. 
But this time is about gratitude first.

Take another breath.

And surrender to the moment.

I’ll tell you who. People who spend like you do.

If you hang with people who eat out every night, you will eat out a lot.

If your friends are into potluck dinners, your spending will skew more towards the supermarket.

If you hear the person in the cubicle next to you renegotiating their car insurance, you might ask them about it.

If your neighbor just put in an outdoor fireplace, you might want to have the same fun they are having.

The same is true for making money.

If you know a lot of sales people, you will probably hear about more sales jobs.

If your friends hate their job and tell you about it all the time, you can’t unhear that.

Friends are not by accident.

Who do you want to hang with?