Ben Cook Honolulu Hawaii

I’m Ben Cook. I’m a consultant living in Honolulu, HI.

Ben Cook Honolulu Hawaii

-Self care is not selfish. If you are not feeling well (whether or not you have been tested or not), then please stay home. You will not be helpful to anyone if you’re not operating at your 100%. A few weeks ago, many of us were probably complaining about how we didn’t have enough free time to do anything. Now is the opportunity to catch up on that television series or to read a good book, or to do something that you enjoy. Be well!

-Social distancing does not have to be isolation. We have a multitude of technology to stay connected even when we are not physically together. Uncertainty causes fear. Use this time to engage with family members, friends, co-workers, and neighbors. It is of course a good idea to check that they are both physically and mentally doing alright. Also, things are a lot less scary when we realize that at our core, our feelings and our values are a lot more similar than we might have realized.

-Be a team player! Preventing further spread of the virus only works when everyone participates and follows guidelines. We shouldn’t need to be told what to do by the government. We should already be responsible and be practicing common sense regardless of whether or not it is required. For example, if we are supposed to be take out or delivery only for restaurants, then now is not the time to operate table service in secret. Now is not the time to over purchase supplies, so that others have nothing left. Now is not the time to drive up prices on select items in order to profiteer from those who are desperate and in need.

-Consider being creative in business solutions. We see places closing every day and people losing jobs. Let’s not focus on that, but rather develop innovations on how we can continue to operate in new ways that not only benefit the community, but can also keep business moving forward. There are countless ways where this has been done so far, such as manufacturers adjusting their operations to produce much needed medical supplies and even hand sanitizers. Restaurants and other food service vendors have been providing food for the elderly who may have no one to help them with their shopping. Turning empty hotels and other facilities into makeshift hospitals. Some of these ideas might not make money, but at the end of the day, it is helping our communities, and the quicker we get out of this, the sooner we can resume some normalcy.

Ben Cook Honolulu Hawaii