Did you ever feel like just digging a hole and jumping in just to get some peace and quiet? I just want this to end! The news media is plain awful, the scarier the better. Gotta keep up viewership, gotta keep those advertising dollars rolling in. Every major city has something weird going on. From folks afraid to speak their minds for fear of reprisal to folks that have lost their minds speaking and doing things without any consequence for their actions.
Folks just need a way to turn this off. I need to get out of town. But wait… Hmmm?
These days a vacation in your own back yard seems to be the only ticket. Lowes and Home Depot are reporting record earnings. Being stuck at home with nothing to do means some-body will find you something to do! A long-forgotten home repair or upgrade project is a path to activities otherwise replaced by travel and dining out or even a movie. I really miss the movie theaters.
It is amazing what you can find when you open those boxes that have been packed away for 15 years. Pictures of the kids when they were little. A great backpack. I even found a leather pad I used every Monday morning in my team meetings to assign tasks.
I know people resist change; I certainly do! I like to eat at the same place, see the same people, wear the same uniform, and see my 14 (now 11) clients a day. I like my routine.
Some things have changed in my world. Gone is the suit and suspenders. On with the jeans. I still have a ton of great shirts that require the cufflinks. At breakfast, a client walked up to me and said, “Are you David Schaeffer?” Hard to tell in my COVID uniform – mask on, jeans, and an untucked shirt.
But things have become more casual at the offices. Of the dozens of folks that make up the American Retirement Advisors family of employees, only five folks come to the Scottsdale office and three folks in the Las Vegas office every day. (Yes, we hired another great person in application processing, Micah.) Everyone else is adjusting to the new normal, working from home.
For the most part, our clients are adjusting as well as can be expected. We are a face-to-face company. Our clients are used to seeing us in person. I know it is hard to do things differently. For some, we are (were) a destination for a comforting smile, a great cup of coffee, and biscotti.
I seem to be a bit more patient with our daily client interactions. I am more empathetic and understanding, helping folks make the transition to virtual meetings. You know – waiting for folks to turn on their computer and open their email to click on a link to join a video conference call.
For many, it is already the way of things with remote work using tools like “GoToMeeting” and the like.
For some, the idea of a “FaceTime” or Google “Hangouts” video call is still foreign. I get great pleasure in seeing someone’s eyes light up when they connect for the first time via video call. It is the way of the present. Doctors are seeing more patients than ever before on telehealth video calls. Financial services companies and insurance companies have always serviced folks by phone. Today, they are updating to include video as well.
You know what “THEY” say, “Change is inevitable”. I wish everyone good health and a smooth transition to “New Normal.” I really miss the movie theaters