Taking Advantage of Quarantine

Obviously this coronavirus thing has us all completely taken back. We all had plans for the future, we're all in the same boat, wearing the same shirt, but our routes have been altered. We weren't planning on losing our jobs, the economy tanking, our loved ones getting sick, and having to socially distance ourselves from all other humans. What's an even greater epidemic is that this virus has completely taken over our lives in every aspect. We can't stop talking about, maybe because of the complete saturation of the media, but also maybe because this is one of the craziest things that could ever happen to us. I mean, every conversation.

This is one of those historical events that we will remember forever, especially if it becomes really bad. I remember talking to my grandparents in Poland through out the years I would go to visit them, and all they would talk about was WW2. They lived through an immense amount of crazy shit, Chernobyl, the fall of the Berlin wall, the rise and fall of communist influence, but the impact on them isn't the same as the war. They have slight dementia, so all they talk about is how horrible the conditions of occupied Poland were, over and over and over. That makes me wonder what I will talk about when I'm 92 years old. Will it be this? It could be, because of how prolonged the situation is, and how even the aftermath will still continue to change our lives.

But honestly, sitting here, jobless and at home surrounded by nature every day, I've had time to think. There was always an entrepreneurial spirit inside me, but the everyday distractions have done a really great job of veering me away from my real goals. "Go to college, finish your homework, get good grades, get a job, go to work, work more, stay late, wake up and do it again..."

And see your relationships fall apart with people.

I absolutely agree with the value of learning and knowledge of facts and "how-to's." But within all the craziness of everyday life, we often forget who we really are, what we truly believe in, and what we actually care about. We lose touch with our intuition, our internal fire.

Quarantine has made me think about these things, and instead of watching Tiger King, I've been working on passion projects. I've been taking advantage of this free-time that we have all been forced into, and I truly believe that there are two types of people that will come out of this lockdown. The ones who took advantage and built something, the ones who will have an upwards curve once we are all free, and those who spent hours binge watching shows, playing Animal Crossing, and complaining about being bored and "having nothing to do." To those people: Capitalism stole your personality. That might be an unpopular opinion, sorry if you feel attacked. I might lose some readers at this point.

I was in a leadership class the other night and it really hit me when the speaker said "If you're not willing to work for it when you have all of this free-time, then you don't want it badly enough." It's true. A lot of people are all talk and no "do." And even at the most advantageous time in our history where most of the population is at home, some are still doing nothing. Yes, I know it's stressful. Yes, I know the bills are stacking up, I know you lost your job, I know you're worried. I'm in the same boat. Can we control those situations? Not really. Let that shit go, and leverage the things you CAN control. A recession should be a time for reinvention. Accept what happened and move onto better things. You can see the light in the hardest times as long as you believe in it and continue to work smart.

R E C E S S I O N = R E I N V E N T I O N

So make a list of things you always wanted to accomplish, big or small. Want to clean out the basement? Want to build that patio? Want to start that online business? Want to write a blog? Want to spend more time with your kids? Want to pursue art? Want to learn about succulents? Whatever it may be, just do it now. Start now, make it a habit, and once life "returns back to normal," it will be there for you. Or maybe your new reality will turn into something completely different. Set your intentions and keep yourself accountable. 

Now it has been proven to the whole world (if you didn't believe in it before) that humans are the most adaptable species on the planet. We can make change in literally minutes if we know it has to be done. All of us have been held socially responsible for staying at home to avoid infection, and it has been hard mentally and emotionally on a lot of us, especially the extroverts! But we know it has to be done for the greater good. So why not treat yourself as gently as that? Treat yourself like you actually want to bring yourself happiness and do something that will be positive. We can adapt to new habits, we can also break old ones. We all know that now. We are all on the same page. 

So... Buck up. 

Wishing all of you a positive quarantine. Remember that you are powerful and that you can get through this. We will prevail and fight. Also, don't forget to vote this coming election. This pandemic has shown us who really cares and knows what they are talking about. 

Cheers.