A darkness has descended and we are all suffering. My heart goes out to each and every one of you.
In times of crisis, though, I always look for the silver lining, the jiu-jitsu move that will turn the downside into upside.
The COVID-19 pandemic is forcing the world to slow down. We can chafe against this. Or we can use the slowness as a way to reboot our lives.
Don’t know about you, but I prefer Option 2.
Here are five ways to put the global slowdown to good use:
- Rediscover the joys of small, simple, unhurried pursuits. Actually, this is already happening. In homes across the globe, people in lockdown are playing board games, baking bread, reading books, making art and music, cooking from scratch, learning to play instruments.
- Reconnect face to face with the people who matter most to you. Face to face at home or virtually over the Web.
- Relearn the lost art of rest, daydreaming, doing nothing or just sleeping enough.
- Reflect on the big questions that so often get brushed aside in the headlong dash of daily life. Such as: Am I living the life I really want to be living? Where do I want to be 10 years from now? What can I change to be a better friend, parent, partner, employee?
- Find ways to help those less fortunate than you. If this pandemic can teach us anything it’s that the world is a better place when we all look out for each other. Or, as the old proverb goes: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
Nothing like a crisis to focus the mind on what really matters. Especially a crisis that forces us to get back in touch with our inner tortoise.
Good luck to you all!