We have quarantined.  We have social distanced.  And during this crisis, we have heard certain phrases over and over.  You know the ones I mean.  Every time we turn on the television, or read an article, we hear the same things, as if we ran out of words to describe this pandemic.

“Now, more than ever…”

“During these unprecedented times…”

“We are in this together…”

To be fair, I get it.  As I write blogs I struggle with the words to describe exactly what I am feeling…and what we are going through.  These are unprecedented times (damn, I did it.).  But there is one thing I hear, that I think leaders need to stop saying immediately.  This phrase is creating a passive approach to your business and your life.  What is this toxic phrase?

“When this is over…”

By saying “when this is over” we put ourselves in a passive mindset.  We will just wait to fix the problems we are facing.  The unspoken message is, this will just take care of itself.  Or maybe someone else will come up with something to deal with what we are facing.  It’s a victim’s statement.  Here is a better phrase for dealing with the times we are living in.

“Now that we are here…”

When we look at our situation for what it is, only then can we come up with a plan to move forward.  We have to accept the new reality (for the time) so we can create new solutions on how to succeed.  As I have said in the past, we need to live in the IS.  When we live in the present reality, we can be creative with ways to move forward and grow…now.  This is why we have created Hasseman U.  It’s a new way for us to provide our customers value in the moment we are living in.  We might not be able to do face to face meetings…so this is how we can provide value living in the time we are in.

“Now, more than ever…we need to live in reality and create solutions from here.”

“During these unprecedented times…we have to create solutions that help our customers today.”

“We are in this together…as long as we look to help each other and not just ourselves.

I plan to start looking today for ways to grow and succeed in the world we live in right now.  Now that we are here…it’s time to get to work.

Kirby Hasseman is the CEO of Hasseman Marketing, a full service marketing agency in Ohio.  Find more about Hasseman Marketing here.