CEO Message – The World of Adaptation

I am writing to you from my virtual office this month, like 11 million other Australians stuck in lockdown.

When we lose our sense of freedom that we used to just take for granted, we go through a few stages…kind of like the stages of grief.

We go into this denial and start to feel very unsettled because, if you are like me, you have daily and weekly routines that are dependent on tight time-frames. i.e. going for your early morning walk, getting ready for work and being at your desk for your first meeting at 8:45am.

We then tend to move into the feeling of anger. We no longer have these freedoms and may ask ‘why me’ when there are others who are still free to roam about society.

We finally come to a stage of acceptance knowing that our current lockdown situation may last for a month or two and adapt to these changes. I know our Victorian clients seem to have a PhD in lockdowns.

After the initial shock, you start to think of how it’s going to be possible to adapt to your unfortunate situation. This is where the challenge lies.

But, where there is a big challenge, there are a number of opportunities that open up.

Sometimes hardship is sent on us in our business and work lives, and we can either shrink under the pressure or we can take control and thrive.

Let me pose a few questions to you which I have been pondering on during these difficult times.

How much do I think about the others around me in life? Am I too self-absorbed on my own problems?

Could the fact that our freedoms have been kept curtailed be an opportunity for us to slow down on our normal routine and focus on what is important?

Are we the victims of our first world problems? There are 3rd world countries facing the pandemic in much more brutal circumstances. My wife heard about a school in Uganda where some of the children passed away because they could no longer attend school (as school was the only place they received a meal each day).

Are we too self-absorbed in our 1st world benefits to realise how lucky we truly are?

I personally think that there are a lot of positives that come from being in difficult situations and I wanted to point some of these out:

1. We’re in lockdown and we can’t do anything about it, but what we can do is make sure to ring a loved one, a business associate or client everyday and aim to make their world a better place.
2. Think about how we can help others during these hard times, as in doing this, our own needs will be taken care of.
3. Encourage those who are doing it tough in business or in their personal life as you never know when you’ll need the same encouragement yourself.

Ideally, we’d love to hear from any of our clients from WSC Group who are going through a hard time during these lockdowns. I’d love to reach out a listening ear and do what I can to assist you through your hardship. We can aid our clients to get tax refunds out as soon as possible and prioritise clients that need to obtain government benefits during these difficult few months.

My thoughts and prayers are with all the clients of WSC Group and I would encourage everyone to be thankful for what we do have. I can ensure you that, after 30 years of running businesses, we do always get through it and always come out of these times with increased wisdom and experience.

Take advantage of these times of lockdown to put together your tax information as our team are ready to assist you as a part of our commitment to providing excellent service to our clients.

Stay safe.