Are you feeling like you’ve been overcome by the pandemic?

I’ll admit it, I am at times… but who isn’t?

This is no small thing we’re fighting. Our world has been turned on its head! I think everybody is feeling overcome by one thing or another, whether it’s the next evil Zoom call or figuring out your kid’s distance learning app.

Wait! Wait! Who are you kidding? You’re not the helpdesk. Kids figure out their own apps. Even I know that. Check that one off the list… you can thank me later.

The brutal truth is this…

What we are doing so we can survive this crisis is incredibly difficult.

Let’s explore an idea for a minute. Have you heard the expression, “overcome by events”? It comes packaged as an acronym too… “OBE.”

Overcome-By-Events… Wow, does that ever fit the times?

So much has happened. So fast. 

As with many acronyms, Overcome by Events (OBE) has its roots in the military. I found this definition on sensagent.com (note: Not a secure website).

Overcome by Events (OBE) or Overtaken by Events (OTBE), is a term of military origin used when a situation changes so rapidly that any proposed courses of action are no longer useful.”

sensagent.com

Here’s a different tack on OBE… I actually used to love hearng that expression back when I was in the thick of the keep-doing-more-with-less corporate world. OBE usually meant something might have disappeared from my always overflowing “plate” of work to do.

OBE sort of meant, “Scrap everything and start over.”

Anything from an unyielding task to a full-blown project just went away. Simply because of some overriding event like a competitor beating us to the punch, or a customer delaying an entire program.

Sure, it was often bad news for the company. But it was also an opportunity for those in the trenches to punch that giant red RESET button.

On the individual level, it meant getting to take a breather.

The pandemic is of course, the ‘event’ that overcomes… or to be overcome.

Let’s take a look at the ‘overcome by’ part of the formula. I checked in with our friends at Dictionary.com to see what they had to say.

overcome [ oh-ver-kuhm ]

verb (used with object), o·ver·came, o·ver·come, o·ver·com·ing.

1. to get the better of in a struggle or conflict; conquer; defeat: to overcome the enemy.
2. to prevail over (opposition, a debility, temptations, etc.); surmount: to overcome one’s weaknesses.
3. to overpower or overwhelm in body or mind, as does liquor, a drug, exertion, or emotion: I was overcome with grief.
4. Archaic. to overspread or overrun.

verb (used without object), o·ver·came, o·ver·come, o·ver·com·ing.

1. to gain the victory; win; conquer: a plan to overcome by any means possible.

With the current global crisis in mind, read the first two definitions and contemplate both for a moment.

Then… compare them to number three. Yes, grief and loss are strikingly real, aren’t they? This is what it means to be overcome.

The various definitions made the context of feeling overcome even more powerful.

If you’ve read this far, I think it’s safe to say you’re not the kind of person who gives up. I’m so glad you’re still here.

The pain and frustration we’re all feeling is a symptom of being human. You get to decide when you’re ready. Take the time you need.

You also get to decide what you’ll do about this event going forward.

The question becomes, “Will I be overcome, or will I overcome?”

But, don’t let fear, or getting ready hold you back from acting… from overcoming, rather than being overcome by events. Instead, be determined. 

Say to yourself, “I’ve got this.” Then take action. 

We have mountains to move…

I don’t want you to be afraid. I am not afraid. I am determined. But I need you to do everything—I want you to think about the fact that this is our one shot in this country. All of us are going to have to sacrifice. And I know someday we’ll be looking back and wondering what it was we did in this moment.”

– Dr. Amy Acton, Director, Ohio Department of Health

If you’d like to avoid being overcome and would rather map out a path forward, I’m here to help – send me a note and we’ll chat! Click here.

Copyright © 2020 Jeff Meister – All Rights Reserved