Categories
pet cartoons

How are the pets faring while we stay at home?

Cartoon of an annoyed cat and a dog
Copyright © Kevin Spear

It seems every other news article is about how pets are reacting while we work from home.

It seems Buzzfeed has a post every other day about annoyed pets during the quarantine. And perhaps all our furry companions can’t wait until we return to the workplace.

But perhaps pets are more resilient than we think. Do we implant on them emotions they are not really feeling? If we assume our cat would be annoyed we are home, do we interpret every action they do as a testament to their annoyance?

When I drew this illustration, my daughter brought home a new puppy. We assumed our cat would go ballistic. He didn’t. He tolerated the new pooch fairly well. I was both relieved and disappointed. I was relieved that the pets got along while disappointed I wouldn’t have an epic struggle to write about. That is one of the curses of a writer. We don’t want conflict, but we know it provides great fodder for our writing.

Pets will get through this just as we will. It will take some time and adjustment. Maybe they will face separation anxiety… or maybe we will. But either way, we will adjust. In the meantime, maybe it’s best to give your cat some space and have his naptime.

Cartoon of an annoyed cat and a dog
Copyright © 2007 Kevin Spear
Categories
motivation

How will businesses survive this pandemic?

Quote from Daniel Pink: "A healthy society—and healthy business organizations—begins with purpose and considers profit a way to move toward that end or a happy byproduct of its attainment."

I have learned much from my wife over the years. One of the key takeaways I have seen in her that deep meaning and purpose is a powerful motivator. I have seen it in her recent decision to resign from a great position and to pursue what she feels is next in her life.

She certainly didn’t do it for the money. There was no lucrative position waiting for her. She did it because she feels she is being called to a higher purpose. We are still working on what that looks like. Yet, I am confident she will find her next step and help many women that have seen their lives turned upside down during the coronavirus lockdown.

Working With a Purpose

This current environment has had a deep impact on businesses. We won’t fully know the impact for months to come. One effect will be is that businesses that have lost their purpose years ago will most likely die. After all, it is going to take an extreme effort to restart many businesses. If the only reason it existed before March of 2020 was to make a profit, it may not be enough of a motivator to get it running again.

Just existing for profit will not be enough to resuscitate many businesses. Mission statements will become more than just something the leadership pays lip service to. Businesses will need a mission to continue through the challenging times that are ahead. We will all need a purpose that is more than just going through the motions of profit. Because profit may not come easily. It may take time and patience to become profitable once again.

So what is the purpose of your business?

Categories
motivation

The Value of Determination

Cartoon of two boys walking. One has a dog in his bookbag. The boy says, "I don't know what's gotten into my dog. Lately, he's been so sneaky."

We all know someone who is determined. Another word for it is stubborn. Anybody who has a pet that doesn’t do quite what they want it to do probably considers the fur baby stubborn. Of course, the pet is probably thinking the same thing about its owner!

Determination is needed more now than ever.

  • The United States has been knocked by the coronavirus pandemic for two months now
  • Some states are allowing businesses to restart
  • Business owners have to figure out how to operate in this new environment
  • Employees have to consider if their jobs are still viable or if they need to find work elsewhere
  • Corporate offices have to figure if it is still best for everyone to work remotely or to modify office space for health and safety

Determination will be as valuable and desirable as an asset as a nice stash of bathroom tissue was six weeks or so ago. We will need to be determined to bring the economy back online. This doesn’t mean we must be determined to make things the way they were. Rather, we will need to use ingenuity, creativity, and patience to make things work in a new reality.

Let’s all lead the way to a new way of doing things. Let’s be as determined as a little dog that really wants to go to school.

Cartoon of two boys walking. One has a dog in his bookbag. The boy says, "I don't know what's gotten into my dog. Lately, he's been so sneaky."
Categories
children cartoons medicine

When is contagious a good thing?

Cartoon of a mom and a sick child in a doctor’s office. The doctor, child and mother all have spots on their skin. The doctor says, “Well whateve he has, it’s contagious.”
Cartoon of a mom and a sick child in a doctor's office. The doctor, child and mother all have spots on their skin. The doctor says, "Well whateve he has, it's contagious."

Not long ago, social media influencers were looking for their next big viral video. It will be interesting to see if we will continue to use this term since we are all conscious of what a contagious virus can do.

None of us want to be infected by a contagion that can harm ourselves and our loved ones. Yet, when a parent or medical professional sees a sick child like in my former post, they are ready to spring into action and risk getting the infection as well. That selflessness and desire to help others heal is worthy of being contagious.

We have witnessed many selfless acts during the past couple of months. We have witnessed generosity, caring, and a willingness to stay in place while this virus took its course. Those are qualities that are worthy of being contagious.

We have witnessed selfish behavior through this pandemic too. We have seen hoarding and other unfortunate behaviors. Those are unfortunate side effects of the pandemic.

As we begin to venture out and rebuild our economies and lives, consider what behaviors you want to be contagious. Let’s spread something that we all want to be contagious.

Cartoon of a mom and a sick child in a doctor’s office. The doctor, child and mother all have spots on their skin. The doctor says, “Well whateve he has, it’s contagious.”
Cartoon of a mom and a sick child in a doctor’s office. The doctor, child and mother all have spots on their skin. The doctor says, “Well whateve he has, it’s contagious.”
Categories
motivation

Do training and preparing get any easier?

Quote from "Drive" by Daniel Pink "As anyone who’s trained for a marathon, learned a new language, or run a successful division can attest, you spend a lot more time grinding through tough tasks than you do basking in applause."

When I was reading Drive by Daniel Pink, I thought of how society tries to make things easy for us. Advertising is all about serving up an easy answer to wants or needs. I posted about the desire we all have to coast in October 2019. I found then that training doesn’t get any easier, but the results are worth it.

Training doesn’t get any easier. But if we are diligent, we can get more effective. Finding success in an endeavor may seem easy from the outside. But it’s the grind, as Daniel Pink wrote, that one has to do every day. It’s getting up early and putting in the miles.

Be patient and train

When I trained for a marathon, I searched for different solutions and different training methods. If there was a solution that would have made it easy to run a marathon without any training, I probably would have stumbled across it. If such a solution existed, I would have been both happy and disappointed. I would have been happy that I would not have had to put in the hours. But I would have been disappointed that the effort was taken away from me. What is the point of a marathon, after all, if it takes little sweat and effort?

Today, all of us have been thrust into a COVID-19 marathon. All of us wish that this crisis would end tomorrow. But it doesn’t look likely. All businesses and employees will have to adjust in some way. Like it or not, we are now all required to train for the next level.

Patience does not mean we simply wait this out. If I just waited for the day of the marathon without training for it, I would have never crossed the finish line. While we wait, we must train. We must prepare.

Turn a crisis into an opportunity

Since we have all been sidelined in some way, how are you using that time to train?

  • How are you training physically?
  • How are you training mentally?
  • How are you training spiritually?

We all have an opportunity to do the work and to make a difference today. Grind through the tasks. Learn from them and become better through them. Training doesn’t get any easier. But the results are worth it. You may not hear a stadium full of applause. But it will be worth it in the long run.