Well.

How is everyone doing?

Sitting down to write this newsletter — one of the most normal, routine parts of our week — feels wild today.

How do we share helpful tips and inspiration when the world is falling apart? How do we focus on work and creativity and productivity when we’re locked in our houses, attempting to be (admittedly not great) homeschool teachers, and staving off anxiety by whatever means possible?

But then we had this thought: How do we not?

Because if you’re anything like us, the work is still happening — only now you’re figuring out how to host a Google Hangout with 24 people who have never used a webcam a single day in their lives (do you feel us on this one??).

And inspiration is more important now than ever; couldn’t we all use a little bit more of it these days?

So we’re sticking around and pulling together the stuff that is keeping us sane and functioning — with the hope that it might help keep you sane and functioning, too.

Most importantly, we want you to know that we’re here for you. As professional sounding boards, creative thought partners, recipients of very necessary ranting, encouragers, and friends. Please reach out if there is anything we can do to help.

We’re on your team. Now and always.

First things first: wash your hands.

We know you’ve heard it a million times already, but it bears repeating. And while you’re at it, avoid crowds and don’t touch your face (honestly, who knew how often we all touch our faces?!).

This week has been wildly uncertain — and we have a feeling it will only get more unpredictable from here. The true impact of the coronavirus on our daily activities, our work tasks, our donors, and our organizations has yet to be seen — but it’s safe to assume that business will not continue as usual…at least for awhile.

So in the interim, all we can do is what we always do: work hard, express gratitude, treat others with kindness and respect, and serve those around us. (Laughing is also on the agenda. Highly recommend.)

Keep on keeping on. And keep washing those hands.

As entrepreneurs, we are notorious workaholics. We are great at hustling and building and producing — it’s how we’ve built a company (and probably how you have created incredible things for your organization).

But you know what we’re terrible at? Resting. Stopping. Taking time off (truly, fully, shut-down-the-computer off).

And this is not a good look. Not on us. Not on you. It’s bad for everyone.

We have to change.

As we continue to build our own corporate culture (and encourage other leaders), we’ve got vacation on the brain. Not because we don’t love our work (we do), or because we’re trying to avoid something (we’re not), but because vacation actually makes us better. Better teammates, better employees, better creative thinkers, and better people.

So take your vacation. All of it. Every last minute. This is the permission (and mandate) you’ve been waiting for.

Have you ever had one of those weeks?

You know the ones. When approximately zero things have gone right and all you want to do is give up?

Yeah. Us neither. 😬

When the proverbial s#*! is hitting the fan, here’s what we constantly remind our team: it gets better.

Maybe tomorrow. Maybe next week. Maybe two months from now (though we’d really appreciate if the whole “getting better” process, you know, went faster).

But the long game has shown us time and again that work (and life) have ups and downs. Good and bad days. Good and bad seasons. The only thing we can do is attempt to enjoy the ride.

And in the interim, while we’re decidedly on the struggle bus, we make gratitude lists and make each other laugh and, when needed, go outside and yell at the sky.

And then we sleep (always sleep) and start another, slightly better, day.

If you’re an up-before-dawn kind of person, then you have experienced something really wonderful over the last few weeks: you are spending less time in the dark.

In that sneaky way it always does, the world has been getting brighter, little by little, day by day. This morning, our walk to work was covered in the slight glow of early sunrise, instead of the pitch black that has accompanied the 6:00 hour for months. And yesterday, our team looked outside at 5:00 p.m. and said, “Hey! The sun!” Hey, the sun for real.

And man, if that isn’t an analogy for just about everything.

The world is hard, but then it gets brighter. Things feel miserable until one day they’re not so bad. The sun comes back. The days get longer. There is an upswing.

So today, we’ve got our eyes peeled for the bright spots. We hope you are, too. So reply and tell us when you look up and say, “Hey, The sun!” — we can’t wait to hear about it.