It’s the beginning of July and we’re still far away from the seeing the end of this current pandemic. But before we go deep in this article, take some time to thank the Universe for still being here. We’re alive and that’s something to be very thankful for. This also means that you can do something about what’s happening to your life.
In the last few months, a lot of reassuring and inspiring messages keeps on popping in on our screens to help us get through this. But there’s a word that keeps on bobbing up the waves of uncertainty in this challenging situation that makes a whole lot of sense to me, and that’s the word “RESET.”
To “reset” means to set again or do differently. I’m sure you’ve encountered the statements about the “new normal” – that everything will never go back to the way it is. Change is the most inevitable because it is the necessary response to reset – think differently… do differently. And the first thing on the agenda is not to get overwhelmed.
To hit the proverbial “reset button,” we have to break it down to more understandable parts. Though they may intersect at times, they become anchors for us to understand how we’re going to deal with resetting that particular aspect of our life. So here are some of these “parts” that you can start with and probably after going through this list, you may have a better idea how you can make it work.
YOUR FINANCES. Get a clear grasp at where you are right now. Check your bank account. Is there more coming? Are you in debt? Do you have something for the rainy days (like this one)? Where are you getting it from? Then stop there. You have to find out all the tangible numbers that can give you a clear idea of your current status financially. Then after knowing, you can either scream, run around like a headless chicken, sob and regret, or just be happy that you have this time to know. Take a deep breath… since you’re one of the lucky ones, there’s still a lot of opportunity to make things right.
The reality check however is not in the question, “are you getting enough?” but in the question “are you living enough?” … “are you in your job because you want to or because you have to?” “are you enjoying what you do?”… All of these questions get muddled when you’re in the rat race, so to speak. A lot of times, we forget the existence of a goal and get caught up with just being the leader of the pack – and before you know it. Time has passed and you’re in a place where there’s no one else to make sense of it with.
Conversely, have been waiting for that opportunity that will get you started? Or have you been waiting to be ready for when you do make the move to get somewhere? There’s nothing really wrong about being discerning with your choices but there is such a thing as procrastination, and it is so real that I have seen people live and die in the same four square metres from where they were born. That’s something to think about.
YOUR LIFESTYLE. How long does work last? When does family time begin? When does “Me” time happen? What keeps you busy? How & when do you take a break? Do you remember when was the last time you laughed so hard you fell off your chair? When the pandemic happened, everyone in the world (or a majority of it) took an unexpected halt. Like a mandated respite from all the dizzying monotony we called a lifestyle – a good opportunity to ask ourselves, “am I happy with what’s happening to my life?”
If the answer is yes, then congratulations! Exciting times ahead because of your right decisions, you will retire early, travel the world, live a long life as you further develop into the best version of yourself. However, if the answer is on the other end of the spectrum, then it’s a good time to rethink. Why do you do things? What do you get out of it? Does it take you nearer to what you really want to happen for you? Are you bored?
Then the pandemic has given you ample time to be honest with yourself and turn things around along with the rest of the world. Marie Kondo your life and get rid of the things that you do just to conform and it’s not making you happy. Limit the things that you do for others and remember what you need to do for yourself.
YOUR RELATIONSHIPS. It’s nice to have friends and loved ones. Some say that, along with family, they are man’s riches that can’t money can’t buy (oh,well … there are some that money could…) but remember that there’s a big difference between having friends and having acquaintances – one doesn’t really know who you are. So, like cleaning your facebook – unfollow, unfriend, block or just put a marker on their names if you can’t really let them go – they are those who have never asked you how you are… called you to say hello or just plain talk about things that matter to both of you. Then maintain the friends that you have a history with…. Friends who are present during milestones of your life …
For your husbands, wives, life partners, girlfriends or boyfriends, if there are pent up emotions that you go to sleep with, this is the time to get that sorted out. Whatever results from this will be a revelation of what your relationship is actually built on. Remember that the decision is not only on you but the both of you.
This pandemic has unwittingly took us all out of our comfort zones and confronted us with the time to think about how we are running our lives. So before I end this article I just want to leave you with 3 things that you can think about.
- Find out what the centrepiece of your life is. If its clear to you, then the rest will follow.
- it doesn’t have to cost a lot of money to become a better person.
- Being in this pandemic is like being in a weird situation. But there is a lot of opportunity in weird.
Now you’re ready to hit the reset button on your way to the “new normal.”