In the midst of this current global pandemic deriving from the novel Coronavirus, the entire globe is presented with a newfangled set of challenges and uncertainties about the future. While it is relatively easy to figuratively throw your hands in the air in defeat at the thought of pervasive health scares, volatility of the economy, and deterioration of “normal”, taking time for introspection and evaluation of potential future opportunities is crucial to surviving in these uncertain times.
17th century French philosopher, Blaise Pascal, famously said that “All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.” While this does sound like an introvert’s fantasy, “sitting quietly” is the circumstances that people across the world currently find themselves in during the wake of self-quarantining and “stay-at-home” orders. Rather than wallowing in fear and constantly finding distractions, many people have a tremendous opportunity to critically assess personal and professional goals. Using this newfound “time” for self-evaluation could be critical to thriving in the post-COVID-19 world that we will hopefully enter in sooner than later.
While it is genuinely difficult to see the proverbial “light at the end of the tunnel”, the world will eventually return to some degree of normal. An interesting consideration during these times is to evaluate some of the success stories that derived from previous eras of financial downturns. Changes in economic climates can help foster new ideas for innovation and opportunities, forcing companies to polish balance sheets and critically evaluate spending. Paul Romer, a noted Stanford economist, said that “a crisis is a terrible thing to waste”. While this is certainly easier said than done, companies such as Microsoft (founded after the crash in the early 1970s), Netflix (growing tremendously following the dot-com bubble burst), Airbnb (created out of the Great Recession), Uber (also brought to life after the 2009 recession), and many other globally-renowned companies were concepted in the light of economic turmoil. This helps prove that opportunity is perpetually existing and simply needs some creativity in its discovery.
Personally, I have been no exemption to the current state of global affairs and its impact on my life. While I was unfortunately unable to finish the remainder of my last semester in Laramie (very disappointing), I was able to begin my career of returning home to the family ranch two months sooner than I had previously anticipated. Because of cows coming back from cornstalks, calving, and other seasonal busyness inherent to many people in agriculture, my time for introspective thinking “quietly in a room alone” has been very limited, but not completely absent. Spending countless hours feeding cows, checking heifers, sorting pairs, and any other job essential for the ranch’s well-being, I have genuinely worked to best utilize my time for optimal thinking on potential opportunities in the agricultural industry (even with the current bleak outlook). The uncertainty ahead can be intimidating to envision (especially in agriculture) but being prepared for any available opportunity is a way to make the best out of these trying times.
Overall, devoting time to Pascal-esque self-evaluation and conspiring creative solutions to our current issues is paramount. Additionally, staying positive and being ready for the new “normal” society is presented with might be the best course of action in these unprecedented times.
Wow, this is a great article and speaks to all of us! Thanks, Blake!!
New buisnesses after seeing all the confusion and panic in the covid-19 pandemic would be Hand sanitizers and hand soaps stores. Most of the population is concerned about hygiene and if they weren’t before the pandemic well they are now. Also healthcare workers running out of supplies, I think being a medical glove supplier would assist healthcare. Also a local locker plant or butcher shop offering local fed beef and pork , this helps the ranchers locally and the people to stock up on meat Incase stores can not supply.
New businesses that could profit from this pandemic are Self Help business, where a person can take assessments online and complete courses from their computer at home. They can work on changing their lives and never leave the house. Now would also be a good time to create a new online meeting company because so many businesses and schools are using companies like Zoom to hold meetings, and not have a limit on how many participants you can have, it would be good. I do think that having a processing plant – buy and butcher local cattle or pigs would also benefit the farmer and the processing plant. If someone started a business with anti-bacterial cleaning products that are actually available to purchase, would give Lysol some worry. And people could actually purchase cleaning products to clean their home and keep their families safe. If people could create a company that grows and delivers fruits and vegetables would also be good because people could buy these from a local person, get them delivered and never leave their home to get produce to feed their families. Another idea is someone could create a driving business like UBER or LYFT, that could pick up groceries, run errands, get medicine for older or disabled people who are afraid to leave their homes.