Research shows that it takes around 60 days to form a new habit. So what happens when we live differently for 500+ days?

Change is a natural part of life. But something different occurs when the circumstances around us force us to change almost instantaneously and then continue for an extended period. The negative impacts of the pandemic are well documented. But if we reframe our outlook and reflect on the positive, two important questions arise: How are we better? What did we learn?

For myself and the B2X team, there are a few valuable lessons that stand out:

• Control What You Can Control – Having a sense of control is among the most basic human instincts. But an unguarded mind will spend hours each day planning and ruminating on topics entirely out of its control. In truth, we only control how we respond to external events. This is a key trait of those who thrived during the most challenging days of the pandemic.
• Trust The Process – In times of chaos, it’s natural to fall out of our normal routines. But success comes from understanding that sticking to a proven process is the best way to gain a sense of calm. High performers produce great results in all environments because they focus on high-quality execution of the process, rather than being swayed by short-term results.
• Relationships Always Win – For many of us, the lack of intimate human connection became the most challenging aspect of an extended lockdown. We were quickly reminded of how important relationships are to our well-being. And for those of us in the business of relationships, some of our best tools were taken away – namely, face-to-face interaction. And still, business continued and even expanded over this time. Those with the strongest relationships came out on top.

The above 3 points are concepts I was fully conscious of prior to the pandemic. But in reflection, I’ve learned that it’s one thing to be aware of something and another to fully understand and change your daily life to benefit from it.

So I’ve decided that these time-tested lessons for life and business will be front and center for me moving forward, regardless of the external circumstances I face.

And how about yourself – in what way are you better?

Market Update

One aspect of our world that has definitely not returned to normal is a critical aspect of our business – the global supply chain for electronics and microchips. Although the original disruption event occurred last year and massive efforts have been made, the issues persist.

In fact, as the saying goes “it’s going to get worse before it gets better.” For a number of unique reasons, we are still many months away from supply levels matching demand. Until then, we’ll continue to see back-orders, long lead times and price increases for commodity products. Give this Wall Street Journal article a read to get a quick understanding of where we stand today.  And make sure to watch the video explaining why this issue is so challenging to solve.