People react to the unexpected in a variety of different ways. For instance, if a group of pedestrians witness a road accident, there are those who would immediately rush over to try and help, there are those who would be almost paralysed by the shock of it and who would remain unable to move, and there are others again who would rush away as fast as possible.
There are many reasons perhaps why we are all different in the way we problem solve or try to deal with unforeseen calamities, but I suspect that a lot depends on self confidence and an ability to think around issues creatively.
COVID-19 has thrown up plenty of examples of businesses, for instance, that have dealt with a major interruption to their trade in different ways. In my area, where pubs and restaurants have been forced to close, some have simply pulled down the shutters and moaned while waiting for things to improve, whereas others have found ways to remain open.
By investing in outside pod style seating and patio heaters, and by rearranging their current outside table and chairs to comply with social distancing, some venues have continued to trade. Others have offered home delivery of meals. By thinking round the issue rather than just throwing their hands up in despair, go ahead places have survived and in some cases even thrived.
Magic too has seen a number of examples of those who have given in and given up while others have looked for alternatives. Private party bookings have all but disappeared, so some performers have created Zoom shows and have actively advertised them. It appears that a public starved of entertainment might well be open to having some magic brought ‘virtually’ into their homes.
Then you have entertainment venues, such as cinemas and some theatres, which have adjusted their seating numbers down to allow for social distancing and have been able to put on some live shows again as a result.
Amongst the magic dealers there are those who have relentlessly continued to contact their customers and to try and maintain, as much as they can, a ‘business as usual’ policy, with new products and initiatives being introduced over the last few months despite lockdowns.
The response may be less enthusiastic from some customers concerned about money, but I am sure that the dealers who have remained visible and active will also be the ones who hit the ground running when things eventually improve.
Compare this to the traders who have stopped advertising and who have been afraid to function almost on any level – one fears that they may well be forgotten by the time all this is over.
Being positive and pro-active is not only good for business, it is also a valuable attitude for us as individuals. Sitting around bemoaning our lot and looking for someone to blame helps no one, and simply leads us down a black hole. Far better, in my view, is to consider what we CAN do, to search for ways to turn the situation to our advantage, and to look at it all as an interesting challenge rather than a calamity that we simply want to run away from.