[kad_youtube url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-w0KjuUZwFc” ]
What is your COVID-19 response, your corona virus response? Part of the reason it’s an interesting video for me is my dad was a disaster recovery planner for Bank of America. That was his final role in life. And so these are topics that he was always talking about. I never really thought I would be having as many conversations about viruses and flus and things like that today.
However, what I want to get into is the real ramifications of what’s happening. So in the last 24 hours we’ve seen the NBA cancel their season. We know that the March Madness Tournament, they’ve changed the way that that’s going to be handled. There’s a NASCAR event that’s being changed up this week. Princess Cruise Line is suspending operations temporarily at least. And, of course, there’s a travel ban to Europe, which actually I’m having to watch because I’ve got an overseas trip planned in June, and I’ve got my ministry partner supposed to be going to India here in April.
So those things are affecting my world. And so he and I were talking last night, and I said, “It’s not really just the virus.” Obviously, influenza kills a lot of people every year and there are other diseases that disrupt. But that’s the word I want us to focus on is this word disrupt. So here’s what we don’t really think about is the ripple effects that happen when you have a pandemic or an outbreak like this. So we’re finding in our stores, we use just-in-time shipping for most of the goods, food services that we do. So everybody’s laughing about the run on toilet paper. In fact, my wife was at Sam’s today and watched a lady buy the last five big bundles of toilet paper.
Well, the problem is because of just-in-time shipping, that creates a shortage. And so you have a chain reaction of things that begin to happen. As these employers shutdown, the question becomes, well, what happens to the employees? Are you able to make your house payment? Are you able to make your car payment? Are you able to feed your family? Are you able to keep a roof over your head when it comes to things like, how do I get goods and services if there is a quarantine? If people aren’t allowed to go to stores or stores are sold out, what do I do?
So what I really want to address with you today is the idea of what are you doing to make sure you can deal appropriately with the ripples? One of the things I encourage anyone who works for an employer is always have a plan B that you’re working on. So if you need to default to that plan B to make sure your family stays fed, to make sure the lights stay on, to make sure you have a place to live, that you’ve got a plan B in place that you can be working on that is working for you.
Now, obviously, I’m an entrepreneur and I work from home. And so I put that plan B in place many years ago, and it’s now our plan A. You saw my wife walk past me a moment ago. We both work here from home. And so that creates changes in obviously our exposure to these types of things. But that being said, the other thing I want you to consider though is really how do you get those household type items that you need. If you do need some toothpaste, if you do need your vitamins, if you do need some shampoo and the trucks aren’t running because of this just-in-time system, how do you make that happen?
So obviously a lot of people are doing online shopping. But, again, here’s the thing, if you do some online shopping for things like hand sanitizer, you’re going to find delays or sold out. Yesterday, at the church, I had our administrative assistant looking for extra hand sanitizer to calm people’s fears when they’re at church. And that was truly a scavenger hunt even online. And so, ultimately, the plan B was we bought the ingredients to make our own so that we’ve got a way to accommodate. So those are the kinds of things that I really want you to be considering.
I posted a video a few moments ago from Joe Rogan’s podcast. Really one of the best discussions I’ve heard on pandemic on this corona virus and really the same conclusion was there. We’re talking about the death toll and percentages and all of that. The bigger issue is the disruption. The bigger issue is that this probably could be a three to six month ripple effect. And how are people going to modify and accommodate and make adjustments so that that three to six months is not just ridiculously disruptive, that it doesn’t cause further disruptions into their life, to their family to their well-being?
So couple of things you need to be thinking about. Number one, your overall health. If you’re somebody that’s not healthy right now, then what are you doing to improve your health? I laugh. I have like a supplement factory here at the house. And when I travel, often I’ve got them rifling through my suitcase because of the bottles of vitamin C and potassium and magnesium and all the things that I take to make sure I stay at optimal health. Regular exercise, making sure that I sleep well at night, making sure we maintain a clean household.
I posted a video about that the other day, that we’ve changed the kinds of chemicals and things we use here at the house. Doing all those things to just make sure that we are living in optimal health, that we have the best chance of just physically resisting things that might come into our environment. Can’t control everywhere I go. I can’t control people who sneeze. I can’t control people who wipe their noses and then touch everything. But there are things I can do to make sure that I’ve got my defenses at their top level. Obviously, I work from home so I don’t always have to be around people having them cough and sneeze and all those kinds of things.
So, again, that’s why I would encourage you to have a plan B if you face a shutdown. Even here in Wichita, we’re an aircraft manufacturing city, and this whole Boeing 737 thing has disrupted the lives of thousands of people because the work stopped. And so if they don’t have a plan B, they’re stuck hoping that they get their unemployment or the line fires back up again. So those are the kinds of things I want you to be considering. I also want you to realize that your faith comes into this, and Jesse just mentioned that as well.
God’s got a plan for your life. There are things that you just have to trust him with. By the same token, he’s given your brain. So use the right precautions, use the right planning. We’re not called to be foolish, but there is a balance to that. And so by the same token, if you need some ideas, how can I generate a plan B? What are some other avenues of online shopping that I could be doing? If you know, Walmart shuts down for a week, then what? Those are the kinds of things you need to be asking.
When I used to hear my dad talk about this stuff, a lot of times, I’d go, “Man, that’s extreme. That could never happen.” But here I am, I’m watching these things happen. The only other time I’ve seen air travel shutdown to Europe was during the volcano in 2010 and I got stranded. I was supposed to be going to Africa. I found myself stranded in that, having to really work around what was happening in that scenario. I’ve got a friend from India who’s here right now at our house, and obviously he’s having to keep a close eye on what’s happening because that’s going to affect even his travel plans in the future.
And so I just want you to be smart. Don’t panic. Don’t buy into the hype. At the same time, have a plan. Trust God and be ready to walk through this, whatever it is. We’ll get through it. Just realize you’ve got to have some steps in mind as you go. Talk to you soon. Hope you have a great day.
