Priorities become clearer in the face of difficult experiences, especially mortality... whether our own, that of those we love, or even that of strangers. 

But difficult things happen every day.  Though, intermittently enough that we can drown it out with news, podcasts, work to dos, life to dos, and social interactions, etc.  

But bad things in volume and at scale are a lot harder to set to the side.  We can’t drown it out because it’s now part of our news, podcasts, work to dos, life to dos, and (lack of) social interactions, etc. 

If you’re sick and/or have a loved one who is, I’m praying for health and recovery.   🙏🙏

If you’re on the front lines, thank you so very much.  🙏🙏

Most of the rest of us are fortunate to exist in first world environments with the luxury of observing this crisis from our phones or TVs and tending to our mental health.

There's an odd dichotomy in our Western media consumption right now.  Stories of life and death contrasted with memes of us having too much time and running out of Netflix to watch. 

We’re adaptable creatures, so we’ll adjust to our new circumstances and gradually get more comfortable with the current normal as we soothe our anxiety about Coronapocalypse.

But once we’re there, with our modified routines and distanced existences, the thoughts that nagged us before… about purpose and fulfillment, what we do with our lives, what career path we should be on, etc… will resurface, if they haven’t already.

We all have those experiences that “put things in perspective.”  Where we think and talk a lot about “realizing what really matters.”  Where we feel called to take action and “figure our shit out.”

This is one of those experiences and accordingly, I’ve heard these phrases over and over the last few weeks.  If you’ve said them or thought them, a logical follow up may be… what are you going to do about it?  

Many of us have a bias towards action.  I certainly do.  To DO something often makes us feel like we’re solving problems and making progress.  It starts to alleviate the anxiety around not knowing the answers to some big and important questions, at least at the outset.  

Case in point - The Great Toilet Paper Shortage of 2020.

But the first step to successful problem solving is clarity around what problem we actually need to solve.

Even though I spent the majority of my career doing this for others, it took me years to realize I was often skipping this step when dealing with my own challenges. 

Many times over I’ve gone way down the line of ideating solutions and executing them, often to irreversible degrees, before recognizing that the original problem still existed because I hadn’t identified it to start. 

So, before you ask yourself what you’re going to do about all these aha moments, I’d encourage you to ask:

• What exactly is now in perspective for you?

• What truly matters to you right now?

• What shit do you actually need to figure out?

• Shutting out the noise all around you… What do you want for yourself?

Detail and specificity matter here. 

“I want to spend more time with the people I love.”
vs.
“I want to dedicate time each week to really listen and understand how my mom, my partner, my child, and one of my good friends are doing.”

“I want to make more money.”
vs.
“I want to find a new job where I can be creative, use my writing skills, help people (e.g. maybe in health & wellness), have remote work options, and be paid my value.”

There’s more detail that can be extracted for statements like these, but you get the idea.

The accuracy of the problem we attempt to solve affects everything down the line because we form goals based on the problems we identify.  We set priorities based on those goals.  And we define to dos based on those priorities.

We can be the smartest, most resourceful, most productive people in the world, but we’ll find ourselves in the same place (or worse because we’ll feel like we wasted precious time) if we start out solving a problem that isn't the core issue. 

Just as the trickle down effects of leadership are felt throughout an organization, the same is true for ourselves.  Except we're an organization of one where we wear all the hats and there’s no one else to hold accountable.

If getting clear on the problem you need to solve for yourself right now, setting priorities, and/or holding yourself accountable to your to dos is something you’ve been challenged by, I’d love to hear from you.

I’m trying to figure out how I can be more useful and make sure I’m solving problems that people want help solving, so please use the contact form or email me (pam@pamyang.nyc) and let me know what your biggest life/work challenge is.

In the meantime, stay safe and sanitized, and support others that need it however you can.

🙏🙏,

Pam