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Are you ready for the second half?

We are over four weeks into physical separating and the shutdown of all nonessential businesses. The game isn’t over.

COVID-19 is a challenging and persistent opponent.

I teach my players to never fear and always respect their opponents. No opponent can ever be taken lightly, especially COVID-19.

According to the experts we are near the peak infection rate. That means we can expect at least another four to five weeks of what we have already been through.

We are at the half.

You are probably tired of being trapped in your house most of the time.

Most likely, you haven’t seen family and friends in person for weeks or months.

You may be getting bored or frustrated.

Maybe you have had to postpone a vacation or are worried about one already planned.

Do you have young children or teenagers at home with you who can’t wait to get outside and play with their friends?

Have you become teacher as well as parent?

Is your house feeling small all of a sudden?

Are you worried about when you will be able to get back to work as usual?

Are you concerned about your finances?

Does your hair need cut and you have no idea how that will happen?

Are you wondering if you can make it through four or five more weeks of this without going crazy?

You are not alone.

I have given a lot of halftime talks over the years.

There are a lot of similarities in sports to our current situation.

Here are thoughts that may help you:

COVID-19 is a tough opponent. We have played a good half.

We have made a difference. The game isn’t over.

What we do in the second half will determine our ultimate success.

I tell my players to always come out hard to start the second half.

It sends a message.

We need to do the same and keep doing what it takes to win. If we suffer a setback, we can’t quit.

We need to play together and trust our teammates.

Most important, we need to believe we will win.

We can’t do it alone.

Even though we are apart we need each other.

Find role models, those having success in a particular area. Stay connected to people with positive attitudes.

We need to stay informed, but listening to the media talk about the virus all day can destroy our attitude.

Reach out to someone who needs your help. Call a friend or family member.

Your uplifting voice may be just what they need.

We also tell our players once they get the lead it isn’t a time to take it easy.

That is when you use momentum to put the opponent away. We need to do the same.

We can’t let up once we see success.

We need to put the virus away once we have the advantage.

Running half marathons and playing soccer helped to build my leg strength. It was easy to maintain once I had built it up.

I was shocked after my soccer injury how quickly I lost muscle mass in my legs. After three months of therapy and hard work on my own, I am finally back to running 1.4 miles.

I have momentum now and need to keep it so I can run another half-marathon.

We need to do the same for our businesses and our families. The momentum we build now can carry us past the virus to new levels of personal and business success.

I believe we will find ways to go back to work, school, shopping and even vacation and stay safe.

We also have a responsibility to keep others safe.

When Lynnda and I were in Tokyo, Japan, two years ago, we were surprised that about one-fourth of all the people we saw wore surgical masks.

There was no coronavirus pandemic at the time.

The Japanese are a very respectful people.

We learned if we were late for a business meeting, we no longer had a meeting. Being late is disrespectful.

The Japanese wear surgical masks if they feel ill or have a cold so they don’t make others sick. It might be helpful for us to think of wearing masks not so much for us but out of respect for others.

Coming out of this we don’t need government rules that lack common sense like the governor did in Michigan.

We need truth, facts, common sense and guidance from healthcare and other leaders.

Most people will do the right thing if they know what they need to do and why and then get praised by leaders when success happens.

I’m seeing more real leadership than I have in some time. (except Michigan)

We can all be leaders by the positive examples we set.

We can follow the common-sense guidance of healthcare professionals.

We can wear our masks to protect others out of respect.

Maybe most important we can look for opportunity amidst the chaos and challenge.

Families are having dinner together again.

Couples are spending more time together.

Hopefully they are talking with each other more.

I have friends who are using this time to write a book or work on new ideas to implement.

Shale Crescent USA has been promoting bringing manufacturing back to our region for over four years.

Based on the nationally syndicated and other radio shows we have been doing around the country in the past month, people and government leaders are fed up with our dependence on China for manufacturing and 80 percent of our medications.

They are clamoring for manufacturing to come back to the USA. We have opportunity in the second half. Let’s go!

Kozera, gkozera@shalecrescentusa.com, is the director of marketing and sales for Shale Crescent USA. He is a professional engineer with a master’s in environmental engineering who has over 40 years’ experience in the energy industry. He is the author of four books and numerous published articles.

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