The past several weeks have been a lot of challenges for myself and my family. It’s required a lot of flexibility and changing on my part. Last year was a very hard year for me. It was full of hurdles and heartaches that I had to navigate. It was very (very) hard, but I knew all that hard time had been preparing me for better things. This year would be my year...I had big plans for 2020.

And none of my plans were anything like what 2020 has actually been.

Despite the hardships and uncertainties, I have been surprised to see my family managing these new normals as well as we have. Surprised is maybe the wrong word…grateful is perhaps a better word. It has been a blessing that we have been able to rally together to get through one of the hardest times of my children’s lives.

I attribute part of this success with having the right attitude and mindset about this time we are in. I leveled with my kids...we don't know exactly what’s going on, what the best things to do are, or how long things will be this way. But we do have a strong foundation in our family and friends. We also have our ability to learn and adapt as we need to. These two truths have helped guide us so far, and hopefully will continue to help us as the strange of current times continues.

There is a term for the kind of grit I'm trying to instill in my children and possess in myself. It’s called “Growth Mindset”. A growth mindset is an underlying set of beliefs that a person has the ability to adapt to changes and learn new skills. It also means that the individual understands their ability to learn new things… they know it requires effort on their part; and that those efforts will get them closer to the higher achievements that they’re aiming for. This understanding of one’s capabilities is in direct contrast to having a fixed mindset, believing that you are either “good at something, or you’re not”, and no matter what efforts are put in there are only some things that a person is capable of.

Growth mindset is something I have been interested in for a very long time. As an educator I felt that one understanding could completely change a student’s ability to learn anything. I also believe it can allow any human to meet life’s challenges in a way that sets them up for success. In hard times it’s important to approach life from this state of mind. This mindset helps us to use existing knowledge to meet challenges, and also helps us to change and seek out new information when the old no longer works. 

And this is how we approached all the new normals we began to live in. We went from our normal, 9 to 5  lives, to COVID challenged lives, to co-living during that challenge. The steps happened quickly, and because of all the speed we barely had time to register the depths of what we were embarking on. We had dove in head first without addressing the endless questions we couldn’t have answers to. We trusted in our ability to collectively meet the challenges ahead; and if we didn’t know the answers now, we would surely find some along the way.

We all learned new skills during this time. Making bread. Planting gardens. Preparing meals for double digits of people. Homeschooling publicly schooled kids. It was a crash course in a different way of living. And it was something that people all around the country were doing in one way or another. We all recognized a need to know the forgotten ways of our grandparents. 

We taught each other skills. Collaborated and Co-Op’d to share the wealth of resources and knowledge. What we didn’t know we Google’d. I often thought about how amazing it is to be alive in such an interconnected world. I thought about how despite the difficulties we were facing, we had the capabilities to learn how to face them well. We could learn how our neighbors next door or across the ocean were facing their difficulties.

We have vast amounts of learning available at the touch of a button, anytime we want. Our ancestors would have surely thought it was some kind of witchcraft or alien technology. They would have burned or worshipped us for the power we use so casually.

For my generation, we’ve grown up— some of us our whole lives— in this information age. We’ve had the ability to connect to others and information in ways our grandparents would have marveled at. We have never known the world without this kind of power and because of that, we can take it for granted. But do not be deceived, friends… the time we live in has granted all of you with great power.

How are we using that power?

We can use the power wastefully, numbing our minds and spirits with endless amounts of distractions. We can use the power for evil intent, spreading hate and lies, wielding the power like a weapon to hurt others. But we can also use this power to connect and uplift. To renew and restore. To learn and to grow. Which brings us to our present moment and how we will use this power to face the challenges in front of us.  

We are enmeshed in a system that is struggling with many unresolved and complex issues. We are collectively recognizing how vulnerable this makes us as individuals and communities.  As a country, I believe we see the need to live a more self-reliant lifestyle. We have to meet new challenges by connecting to old ways that sustained our ancestors while using new ways to gather that knowledge. We must use our powers well. 

This interesting paradox of old and new meeting is where we find ourselves. How will we grow during this time of change and challenge? Will we meet our needs through a growth mindset, ready to collaborate and learn? Will we distract and deflect and distance ourselves from the problem? 

The choice is ours.