Back in 2019 as I was preparing my clients for an intense year 2020, I remember this exchange I had with one of them, telling him I was foreseeing ” men in suits and ties falling from their skyscrapers ». A symbolic fall from the pedestal for the business and the political world.
What a beginning of a new decade we had… When I think back, having intuitively felt that the patriarchal system would be the most affected was relevant indeed: several articles reported that the pandemic has been generally better managed by female leaders around the world than their male acolytes. Soft power proved to be efficient in the middle of chaos. However, all of us in one way or another, had to do some fair amount of life check.
No professional achievement or accumulation of wealth could protect those in leadership positions from a virus that struck the world globally, without any discrimination. The pandemic has put everyone on an equal footing, at least in terms of health, while denouncing the material inequalities in our society.
During this exchange, I also shared that those with impeccable personal integrity would not only do very well in 2020, but would be the big winners in terms of reputation and success: we could witness how managers and entrepreneurs revealed qualities of understanding, collaboration, and incredible sense of compassion towards their teams and sometimes also toward their less fortunate competitors. Yes, we were all in this together, no matter where we stand on the social scale.
In early March, I developed the idea of a “reset” of our society in an article called « Pandemic 2020: When The Only Way Out Is In », without suspecting that a few months later, the expression would be used by many, including the World Economic Forum with its “ Great Reset ” to describe the crisis we were going through.
By crisis, it is important to understand the original Greek meaning of the word: “transformation”. Through this accelerated transformation, many have discovered the importance of mental health and a holistic lifestyle: the benefits of slow-living, of meditation to refocus and re-align, of conscious eating as a prevention to illness. The importance of self-care and the quality of the energy of our living environment and those with whom we share our space too.
Each one of us, had the possibility to support our fellows. If this year was marked by the loss of loved ones and both personal and professional challenges for me, it also offered me many opportunities to support family and friends, and to accompany both regular and new clients and patients on the journey of their personal development.
Many I have the privilege to support for some time, have shown remarkable adaptability to change and have received guidance and validation on their life mission. For others who opened up to a different way of living because of unprecedented circumstances, with a life focused on their inner world instead of the pursuit of a career put on hold, the year has been way more challenging. The meaning of their life and the very notion of their identity was (and still is) called into question. Their new goal was to reinvent themselves, find new measures of success and sometimes find a new life purpose.
I was honored to be at service, using my psychological and spiritual tools to provide guidance on the private and professional challenges lots were going through. On the corporate level, it felt very rewarding to help the sale of a 7 figure Swiss company in the middle of a pandemic and unstable markets in the month of April. 2020 feels like a year of revelation of what has outlived its usefulness and has to be transformed.
Everything is achievable when you have the right expertise, and are willing to acknowledge life’s appointments to implement constructive changes.
Additional to my holistic coaching sessions, I had the opportunity to contribute to the global collective awareness through various media. I gave an interview to a French radio about my work as therapist and medium, shared my expertise in a podcast in a Canadian online program and contributed to the 50th anniversary issue of a Swiss business magazine.
My article « From Fear To Freedom » led me to design a program called « Healing The Virus of Fear », offering in a video posted on social media, a 20 mn complementary session for those who needed a different perspective.
I’m closing this year with the satisfaction to have done the best I could to provide individuals and the collective insightful perspectives and comprehensive support on the Mind-Body-Spirit levels. I’m so grateful to my wonderful clients and my business partners for their unconditional trust throughout the year.
As we’re entering a fresh year, all with a well-deserved PhD in adaptability and resilience in the pocket, I’m glad to say I’m looking forward to 2021 and its new adventures, a year which looks very different to me, with its own challenges indeed but with an accelerated pace, a new dynamic and greatest rewards to be collected.
Happy New Year, Happy New you!
Rita Minassian 