"I didn't sign up for this, I've had it!" (the only easy day was yesterday)

Pandemic Protest Prototypes: "I've had it.." This, among a plethora of other dramatic declarations of being overwhelmed, is not unique to our pandemic times, of course. But no doubt heard at a higher frequency and decibel range in 2020. Can you imagine, for instance, following his initial reluctant indoctrination, what Noah uttered when he found himself surrounded by piles of ---- and having to birth a 'boatload' of species: "I'm going to need a bigger boat...this was not part of the original deal..." Another powerful biblical account involves that of Mary, the unexpectant mother (can you imagine, how would you respond?). While not unique to the ongoing pandemic, I am hearing and reading about more accounts the past several months of people from all walks of life, whose own COVID circumstances have overcome their training and/or personal resources. I offer you just three examples from which you can easily extrapolate to your current situation:

Health Care Worker: "We didn't know enough about this virus or how to treat it...we were running out of resources just trying to keep patients alive...we did not have time to prepare...we treated a week's worth of such patients just a few hours into my first shift..."                                                                                    Parent: "All of a sudden, I'm not just a parent or office worker, but also a teacher...I know how to teach my kid to read but the school is just throwing a bunch of stuff at us and through a computer program I've never heard of...the other day I was doing a presentation to my boss and here comes my two year-old with a poopy diaper, MOMMY!..."                                                                                                                        Teacher: "While highly familiar with teaching all subjects and strategies to engage students, we were taken away from our students literally overnight and thrown into formats with which we had no training whatsoever...we're going by the seat of our pants and our pants are wearing thin (partly by sitting in google classroom all day)...I'm also a parent having to teach my own students at home, seated right next to me..."                                                                                                                                                  Student: "At first I thought it was cool, because I had more free time and I could talk off line with my friends while we were in turn Online with our teacher...I could play video games while my parents were preoccupied on their own zoom...now all I want to do is get back into the classroom, have a real 'face time', even if it means having to wear a mask all day...I'm tired of having to wear a mask all day and not understand my teacher's directions..."

Unexpected/Reluctant Heroes: "You don't have to like it, you just have to do it" is a phrase most frequently associated with the military, but one that resonates with us all, especially in these times. The reluctant hero is an archetype found in both fiction and throughout history, profiled in the form we can all relate to, who finds her/himself in extraordinary circumstances in which they have to 'rise above themselves', exceed their own self-expectations. Almost invariably, a decorated soldier, upon receiving a medal of valor, responds with great humility, "I never thought myself capable of...I just did what any of my comrades would have done if called upon...". How many of you have found some superpowers you were not aware of previous to the pandemic, such as changing a diaper while deftly handling a mouse, or...? Even highly trained warriors, such as the SEALs, need self-encouragement from time to time (many times in the form of sardonic humor)--in addition to the "only easy day" slogan, on the verge of a mission for which they have trained assiduously, they are apt to refrain, "Now we're screwed!" Followed closely by "Hooyah, let's go!"

The Bitter Pill: Throughout four decades of professional practice, much of which has spent motivating, individuals have come to my office seeking a life change, in one direction or another: "First I had to come and see a psychologist to get MOTIVATED!" To which I now respond in what they initially feel is counterintuitive, certainly not what they came to hear: "Well, you're in the wrong place, because I don't have a slogan or simple formula to get you to start or keep you wanting to do something you know is good for you...you have to JUST DO IT (sound familiar? wish I had gotten intellectual rights first)...motivation comes from DOING, sometimes doing stuff you don't want to do initially but if you do enough, may just be transformative..."

Who Signed Me Up? While living at the YMCA, after many 'false starts' and what some would deem failures, a man came upon an idea for teaching public speaking (still one of the top fears endorsed by most adults). In his first session, having run out of material, he found himself having to improvise (necessity, the mother of all inventions), which indirectly resulted in suggesting students speak about "something that made them angry", which became an unexpected catalyst for people to overcome their fear of addressing an audience. Which in turn helped make Mr. Carnegie a celebrated and wealthy man, which became the core emphasis of countless courses--courses for which employees don't always 'volunteer' for...

Us Guys: The reasons for which men don't sign up to volunteer for a fraction of the rate women do, have been studied for years and have, as we guys know so well, also been the subject of light hearted humor. One of my favorite illustrations, from 22 years ago, occurred on back-to-school night, when one of our children was starting first grade, at a time when kindergarten was still offered in a half-day format. Her new teacher was sharing with us parents what many students experienced in transition: "Like Henry who, on the second day of class, was putting on his backpack at lunch time...Henry, just where do you think you're going? Well, Mrs. Williams, I'm done, I'm going home, it's noon you know...Well, Henry, you're actually here for the full day now...Henry (indignantly, with hands firmly on his hips): Just who signed me up for this?!" Dude.

       I/we can relate: "Now we're screwed...Hooyah, let's go!"