Remember The Great Recession? How out of control things felt at that time?

Can we agree that nothing has ever felt as out of control for our businesses as things do today? Forced shutdowns. Unfathomable spike in unemployment filings. The tenuous outlook of cash flow projections. It’s crazy. And that’s to speak nothing about the virus, its catastrophic impact on our society, how long it will stick around, or if it will reside and then come back again. In some ways, it feels like the Great Recession all over again, but in others, it’s very, very different.

So that’s out on the table, and it’s time for us to move on. It’s time for us to focus on what we CAN control.

Let’s start with this great video that boils down what I believe is all of our first priority in dealing with today’s uncertainty. Thank you for the clear, concise advice, John Spence! And when you’re done watching it, please add to your list of things that you can’t control, items like, whether your business is classified as essential or not; whether boating is allowed in your state or not; whether we’ll be able to reopen before Memorial Day; and so forth.

Now, here are three great tips from Gary Vaynerchuck on where your mind should be today. These are the things you CAN control: Your perspective, your response to uncertain times (he calls it innovation), your brand’s story, and your patience.

This is likely going to be a long road. You should align your mentality with that expectation and the opportunities that are within your control.