In the time of crisis, most people are lost, confused and panicking. They look around for people who can give them certainty, assurance and hope. If you are one of the most people, it’s time for you to wake up, step up and serve up.
? Wake Up
When we are faced with something unfamiliar and something dangerously new, our first reaction is the fight-or-flight response. It is part of being a human. What matters is what happens after your first reaction. Are you going to continue with the panic followed by irrational behaviors, or are you going to take a step back and re-evaluate the situation?
? Step Up
It is in times of crisis that call for leaders. When people are in panic, they need someone to give them assurance. You don’t need a title to become a leader. You don’t need a team to become a leader. All you need is a platform. You already have that, social media. When bad news is filling up people’s social media feeds, they need someone who can give them certainty and hope.
? Serve Up
Mahatma Gandhi said, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” In the times of crisis, if you feel lost, it is the perfect time to lead by serving. Think not, “How can I survive?” but “How can I help?”
When coronavirus first broke out in Wuhan, the epic center back in end of January, seeing the extreme shortages on medical supplies, I kept on asking myself, “How can I help? What can I do?” A thought came to me right away, “Use your expertise to raise funds.” And that was exactly what I did. I gave a training session at an affordable price and donated all the proceeds to a charity that was doing its best to purchase supplies from all over the world to support Wuhan. And then in April, when the world was on fire with the pandemic, I did another training session to raise funds for WHO solidarity funds.
Raising funds was not the only thing I did to help and serve. Here are a few ways to serve your community so you can stop looking for others to step up, and so you can start leading others to get through this together and get out stronger with your community.
1. Reach Out To Those In Need
If you see people online in your community confused and frustrated, reach out to them and offer help. It can be as simple as leading your listening ears. When we are all in social distancing, the lack of physical connection can lead some people to extreme frustration and inadaptability, connect with them and share your experience.
A friend of mine witnessed some people facing hunger issues and started organizing food supplies to them. That is leadership.
2. Offer Your Expertise / Talent
Another friend of mine is a good cook and she joined the food-supply team with her home-made food!
Another friend started to get good at doing online training. He thought, “How can I help those who are not good at this?” So he started organizing free training sessions to share his experience with those people.
I used my expertise and did a meditation video for those who are in panic and anxiety, among many other videos.
The possibilities to offer help are everywhere!
3. Stay Visible And Share Hope
Most of all, stay visible online and share your experiences on how you served so people can turn to you if they are feeling lost, confused and panicking.
It is time to get over your fears of being visible and judgement. When you focus on serving others, you’ll lose your fears. It IS in the service of others that you overcome your fears.
In the time of crisis, stop looking for others to lead you. Step up and show up. Become the leader that people are looking for.
