RESTLESSNESS and unproductivity - these are precisely what most of us may already be ranting about at this point. Before this pandemic “circus,” (I mean crisis) all we wanted was more time to respite. Now that we have been given all the time in the world, it seems that the idea of community quarantine doesn’t sit so well with our high-functioning and fast-paced routines.
But few weeks ago, J.K. Rowling, the author of the much-loved series of seven Harry Potter novels, tweeted, “If you’re a ‘life coach’ who’s on here implying people are losers if they aren’t learning a new skill/building a brand while on lockdown, maybe stop. People have challenges you know nothing about. Sometimes getting through something is more than enough.”
JK Rowling has condemned life coaches for putting pressure on people to learn new skills and be productive during lockdown. The author said that just getting through isolation was an achievement for people with mental health issues. Rowling, 54, who has spoken in the past about depression, said that advice from self-styled business gurus on social media was a form of shaming that could make people feel worse during a difficult time.
As a motivational coach myself, I paused and pondered. What have we done wrong? Year 2020 got our backs against the wall and we responded differently. My personal reaction was to encourage and not pressure folks to be productive and learn a new thing or two.” I rushed online to do live video streamings to put up life-saving talks -- hoping that they’re going to be worthy. And we cannot stop now.
We know that the last few months were not the best time to produce experts or re-tool people. But we saw a chance to help people reflect about humanity and how we can go back to our original wiring - our values, character, faith; what matters to us and what gives our lives purpose. Because at the of the day, these will inspire everyone to get through every day.
Maybe this crisis calls us to be reflective, not reactive. We are not trying to be experts and saviours here - God knows everything that’s going on. We are all first-timers here. But we, along with other influencers - big and small are using our platforms not to shame, but to reach out and lend a hand to everyone who needs a breather from negativity and who needs something to look forward to.