alumni

Observe, Think, Plan, and Act

Written By Lygia Pontes

March 27, 2020

Editor’s note: Lygia Pontes is a 2017 alumna of the Presidential Precinct. She spent her time in Charlottesville as a Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI) Fellow. Learn more about Lygia and her work in this 3-minute impact story. Official information about COVID-19 is available here from the World Health Organization (WHO).

—

I believe the first time I heard about COVID-19 was the beginning of January 2020. Although I got concerned, since we are all connected, I thought there was no reason to worry. Then time passed and this became a pandemic.

When COVID-19 reached Brazil, I remember thinking that we were going to have a huge problem, but still that we didn’t need to worry as the government had enough time to observe, think, plan, and act. As the number of cases started to increase in the country, I realized the government was not following that linear path. They were trying to do everything at the same time, which to this day, is generating insecurity and uncertainty.

Lygia, third from left, with her YLAI Fellow cohort

This is a very stressful time for all Brazilians. In my case, since I am an entrepreneur, insecurity and uncertainty are extremely intense regarding the future of my company. Nevertheless, I’ve decided to act exactly in the opposite way of the government and put in practice some attitudes to overcome challenges: observe, think, plan, and act.

I found out that with the quarantine, many people need to work from home for the first time, which can be excessively complex. So I saw an opportunity to help people and, at the same time, maintain my own business: I’m offering a 30 minutes consultancy for free to everyone who needs to be more productive while working from home – a great opportunity for more people to experience our business model as a whole.

Lygia shares her business model with Charlottesville-area entrepreneurs during the 2017 YLAI Fellowship

This has been a positive experience. I can disconnect from COVID-19 news, find new opportunities, look after my health, help stop the coronavirus transmission, meet new people and put in practice what motivated me to open my consultancy on effectiveness and professional happiness: prove that it is possible to have a less stressful routine and build a wellbeing cycle. I invite everyone to put in practice these steps (observe, think, plan, and act) now. You will see the difference one person can make during this huge crisis we are all facing.