My Two Cents on the Current Situation
Unless you have been living under a rock, you know what situation I am talking about. It’s the main subject wherever you look, it’s affecting us whether we allow it or not, or at least it will sooner or later. However, if you indeed have been living under a rock, keep doing it. That’s precisely what needs to be done in order to get over this quickly.
This is my first article which also brings me to my first point. I have been thinking about writing an article for quite some time now, but never really committed to it. However, basically being forced to have more spare time by working from home and not going out, I found myself finally doing it. Hopefully, you are at least as fortunate as me.
Learning, Mastering, Doing
Maybe you have been thinking about reading that book, or maybe you wanted to write a book. Maybe you wanted to try out a new cooking recipe or master one you already know. There is the well know phrase “if not now, then when?”. Well, it’s safe to say that now it has more power than ever. Maybe you noticed the opposition between the suggestions. The first one is about learning, the other one is about doing something you already know.
So, if you’ve mastered a field, make sure you respect your higher self and the rest of the world by putting it to great use. Now it’s the time. If you know the stock market, it’s a good opportunity. If you know programming, build something (it’s really impressive what has been built so far to aid with the current situation). If you know anything that took considerable effort to learn, make a course about it. The best way I can describe this situation is as the time for each one of us to shine.
On the other hand, if you don’t feel like you’ve mastered any particular field, make sure to be prepared for the next occasion. Listen to your heart and follow it (by heart I mean the intuition that tells us in which field we can provide the most value). It’s really a shame not to make use of the vast resources available online. “Keep the gold and silver, but give us wisdom” (Arabian proverb). You will thank yourself. It might even be the case that this situation takes long enough for you to both learn and apply a skill.
Chillin’
There is also the option to recharge your batteries. If you don’t feel like doing any of that and especially if you have been working hard for the past days, weeks, months, or even years, this is a good opportunity to take it easier. Take a step back, do what relaxes you (I started playing Assassin’s Creed for example, which is another thing I wanted to do for quite some time), chat with your family and friends, and even new people. It’s also a good chance to talk to yourself and reflect on how you’ve been doing so far. Chances are you will feel the need to be fully productive after a short break anyway.
The Hard Parts
“OK, but I am a doctor. I am a bit busy currently”. Yes, unfortunately, you might not be able to learn a new dance, but the truth is that most of us envy you (profoundly). One of our deepest needs is the need to be needed. You are putting your craft to use in the most authentic form, which not many of us, the rest of the population, will ever achieve.
But what if the situation directly affects you? Maybe a family member is sick or has a weak immune system and you worry about him or her. Maybe your business is suffering. Maybe you’ve lost your job.
My best advice in this case is a short old story you might have already heard. The story about a man who has fallen off his horse and broke his leg. When he returned to his village, people felt bad for him, but his answer was “we will see”. Then war came and healthy men had to go. He didn’t and people felt like he was the luckiest man alive, but his response was the same, “we will see”.
The point of the story being that we don’t really know what is good and what is bad and how it will shape our future.
A Unique Experience
And finally, I believe this situation reminds us of what’s truly important and ultimately vital. All of a sudden we are no longer chasing cars and riches, but food and water. All of a sudden we don’t want to post cool photos of us, but to be supportive and share great causes — the incredible involvement and donations from both companies and people is another great sign for us. See, most people are used to the good times since that’s how we have been living for most of our adult lives (especially millennials like myself). Sure, there was the 2008 crisis, but this is an entirely different situation.
This is quite possibly the event of the highest magnitude most of us will ever experience. We have been living so far in abundance (at least at a macro scale) - businesses were booming, money was flowing, companies were hiring, however, this might change. I think it will, but only for a short period of time.
This is an extraordinary chance for us to become more appreciative.
