I’ve been talking to a lot of people lately, in retrospect to the pandemic period and, what surprised me, was that a lot of them actually appreciated it. Needless to say, it is truly regrettable for those who lost somebody during this time. For those who didn’t, even those who partially lost their businesses, it was actually a great opportunity to be more introspective, to slow down and get closer to themselves. That made me look more carefully at my experience during this time and try to understand why it was also a very good one for me. If I would have to boil them down to just 3 main ideas(reasons), here there are:
1.???????? ???? ????? ??? ?????! Conceptually, I knew I didn’t need all those things I was chasing, but being in a forced lockdown actually facilitated the experience of going inside and living with less. I have just imagined it was “war time” and I settled for the minimum I needed to survive. I realized I could actually survive for about 2 years. Then, I stopped all the information bombardament and I stopped the struggle of trying to understand why all of this was happening. I have just concentrated on the little things I could control. This provided me with a soothing feeling of release and calmness.
2. ?? ????!
Without acknowledging before, a lot of energy was being wasted by this fear of missing out. I was constantly running for the next business opportunity, next event, next meeting, next call, next task… And, as the whole world stopped, this fear was getting a lot less powerful. And, as I was feeling more calm and accepting, I was more aware and open to what wants to happen. Then, I realized that I could create that for myself.
3. ???? ????!
What this period revealed for everybody, more than anytime before, was to really detach from your projections for the future. You know that saying: “if you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans.” This is a very good representation of the difference between intentions and objectives. Intentions are purely beneficial as long as you are not clinging upon results. Having an agile mindset and realising that your targets can be adjusted regularly (may that be downwards or upwards) has become the standard. Leadership is also about assuming clarity where there isn’t. But the emphasis is on assuming. Nobody should no longer pretend they know. We make assumptions, and they we review them with a healthy level of attachment.
Settling for fewer needs, being open to ehat the future gives me and working more mindfully actually brought the best revenue yet for my businesses. But the best part is that the associated joy was more sustainable and more rewarding.
ah… And not to forget the focus on actually living. Mindfully living first 🙂
How was it for you?
