It's Sunita here.
Thanksgiving was a low-key affair in my household this year. That did not dim our celebration of the healing power of gratitude in any shape or form. If anything, I felt a strong urge to express my thanks to those whom I may have taken for granted on occasion in the past. It's as if COVID19 has brought a new awareness to us. With our health and our life being on the line at all times, it has sharpened our focus on the fragility of our existence.
Uncertainty brings all kinds of unique challenges. Today things seem to be very different than before we were hit by this pandemic. But the truth is uncertainty has always been a part of our lives. We usually just ignore this hard to swallow fact. Predictability gives us a false sense of power that leads us to believe the illusion that we have control. We no longer are afforded that luxury. COVID-19 took that illusion away from us.
Holidays are now measured in how many friends and relatives we can invite. Masks are the norm for many, and a cause for revolt for almost an equal number of others. Staying at a safe distance (6-10 feet depending on the setting) is now considered polite. One wonders if shaking hands will ever be socially acceptable again. The burden of this pandemic's demand for our isolation and separation from others is no joke. The cost of safety procured by lockdowns and limited social contact is rising globally.
But in all the isolation and loneliness that this pandemic brings, there also lies a wonderful and unique opportunity to get to know ourselves better. If we were to carefully look at our pre-pandemic activities, we would see how we spent our time. Can you honestly say that your time was spent on people and activities that were forwarding your life mission? Were you allocating time to your soul work? Did you know what your soul work was?
All these questions require introspection. To look inwards we need time, energy and effort. The business of life is a perfect excuse for us to avoid devoting ourselves to examining our life and the direction we are taking towards actualizing our potential and purpose. Being immersed in the 'daily' stuff is no longer an excuse. This slow down pace of pandemic life has presented us with a gift. The gift of time. What are you going to do with it?
What possibilities can you dream of today? Once a successful vaccination program for COVID 19 is developed and implemented worldwide, the pandemic will be over. What will you have gained or changed in this time?
More clarity of a vision? A plan for a better future? A rearrangement of your priorities? Closer relationships with people who matter to you? Will you pick up a new skill or hobby during the pandemic? How about some advanced training in your field of work? A fitness goal perhaps? Aren't these long winter evenings perfect for writing a book? Have you ever thought of a career change or of starting your own business?
The possibilities are endless if your focus is on what you can do-not on what you can not do right now.
Purging and abandonment of all things, activities, and those who do not serve our life and its purpose is a difficult thing to do. But today the pandemic has forced us to live without the usual time clutters we had incorporated in our daily routines. The habitual obligations we had mistakenly thought of as essential commitments sucked up our most precious resource- our time.
Now we have an excellent opportunity to purge the extra fat in our life.
Time has never stopped for anyone, anything, or any event. This truth is not going to change. So, if we can, we must look at the amazing opportunity this uncomfortable, but necessary isolation and slowdown has brought to us, and take advantage of it.
We can complain all we want about not being able to have our relatives and friends over for the holidays. We can lament about the unfairness of the devastation of the virus, and what it is doing to our lives. We can speculate when it will all be over. We can do many things- but we can't ever get this time back.
So, use it wisely.
A life of originality and authenticity is ultimately the only worthwhile measure of success. We are meant to show off an unedited version of our soul. But first we must invest the time it takes to identify our talents and gifts. Only then can we move forward to realizing them. We must say NO to all the non-essentials in our life to be able to say YES to the path of self-actualization and a life of meaning. That requires courage. And hard work. Plus a dedication of time.
The time is now!
Seize this opportunity to redesign your life. Emerge from this pandemic with something new. Create something unique in this challenging time. Become a better version of yourself. Dare greatly to break the boundries you have defined for yourself. Drop the people who do not sincerely care about you, or where your life is going.
The COVID 19 pandemic does not offer a redo. Live every day to its fullest and become who you were meant to be.
The journey of a thousand miles stats with a single step.
-Lao Tzu
Show up for yourself.
I will too!
Until next time,
Sunita
#selfloveselfcarefirst #covid19 #pandemic #isolation #opportunity #laotzu
#courage #succcess #authenticself #daregreatly
