COVID-19 has a lot of people shook, and rightly so! This is an extraordinary situation for which no one was prepared. Regardless of your upbringing, your current financial position, your grit, your degrees and professional accolades, your good deeds, your optimistic outlook, or your physical fitness… you have been impacted. There is no one on God’s green earth who has not been affected by this novel coronavirus!
So, what does that mean?
I can’t answer that for you, and I won’t pretend to know the answer for myself or my family. What I can say is that people are finally able to take a good long hard look at their lives and their personal situations. My family is privileged, and we don’t take this for granted. I am here writing a blog with internet, electricity, a full belly, and the means to continue “sheltering in place.” For me (and my household), we are recognizing the world around us for what it is; The people we interact with in this isolated time, the people we don’t, and the changes in relationships that are solidifying. We are recognizing the wasted money, the wasted energy, and most importantly the wasted time spent living below our potential. This is our view and this conclusion was not reached lightly.
I saw a meme circulating social media talking about how people should come out of this [quarantine] with a new skill, a new hustle, or more knowledge. It went on to say that if you didn’t, then you never lacked time… you lacked discipline.
This is bullshit!
These are scary times and this virus is impacting OUR communities the most! Encouraging and supporting each other is always the goal, but we must be cognizant of the real problems and issues that face our communities. People are not only trying to hang on to their sanity, they are trying to make ends meet while operating in survival mode! It isn’t about the added pressure as much as it’s about accountability. There is no denying that things have changed and will remain different from this point forward. What’s most important is awareness. This doesn’t mean watching the news all day or being glued to social media. This means peepin’ game. Who is rocking with you? Which of your favorite companies are taking a stand to help the community? Who is silent? How can you use this time to move a step closer to your goal(s)? What resources are available for self-improvement?
Personal understanding is within your control. What you understand is directly proportional to your level of effort.
Understand your world! Understand those in it! Use that… and reconstruct it!