It was early morning on Feb 4, 2020. I was returning home from Oman and looking forward to being back with my family. I took my window seat on the DXB -VIE flight. Seldom was I aware, as I saw the aircraft take off, that my next flight would not be anytime soon. The borders were closed in March 2020 and by April 2020 there were flying restrictions all over as the world geared up measures to restrict the rampaging covid onslaught. It has been a year since then and thus I decided to pen down my reflections of the year gone by. I call it MY COVID YEAR. During this period among many other things listed below, I contracted the virus, navigated it successfully and I am waiting for the second dose of the vaccination after having taken the first a week back.
Hard times can mean different things to different people. And coping with difficult times is never easy. Pain is a part of life. But getting through that pain is all about mindset, and it is about choice. Since the pandemic started spreading rapidly causing death, devastation, and derailment, the livelihoods of millions have been impacted. People have been laid off. Institutions and Establishments have been closed. Thousands have filed for bankruptcy. Schools, Universities, and work have been moved offline. One can continue adding more to the forced shift and changes we as a human race had to endure. As I pen, my native land India is facing the brunt of the second wave and the media pictures reveal that it is worse than a horror story, as thousands of lives are lost each day and with hundreds of thousands of others infected daily.
Taking a personal inventory of 50 aspects of my daily living, I am sharing my findings which some of you may relate to as well. % ages mentioned are approximate and represent well.
MY COVID YEAR as compared to the previous year
1. International Travel – 0% (Down 100%) – A MINUS
2. Personal Income – Down 80% – A MINUS
3. Domestic Local Travel – Down by 80% – A MINUS
4. Car Usage (kilometers) – Down 80% – A PLUS
5. Doctor Visits – Down 80% – A PLUS
6. Parking Expenses – Down 80% – A PLUS
7. Parking Stress – Down 100% – A PLUS
8. Contribution to Carbon Emissions – Down 60% – A PLUS
9. Dining Out Expenses – Down 80% – A PLUS
10. Nature Walks – Up 100% – A PLUS
11. Family Time – Up 100% – A PLUS
12. Personal Time – Up 100% – A PLUS
13. Number of FREE Webinars Conducted – Up 100% + 36 (NEW) – A PLUS
14. Number of Webinars Attended – Up 100% + 27 (NEW) – A PLUS
15. Savings from Non-Essential Purchases (mall shopping) – Up 70% – A PLUS
16. Home Cooking – Up 90% – A PLUS
17. Quality of Sleep – Up 80% – A PLUS
18. Writing – Up 100% – 726 pages (2 books almost ready) – A PLUS
19. Number of Videos Done – Up 100% – 112 – A PLUS
20. Technical Skills Learned (Audio/Video) – Up 70% – A PLUS
21. New Passwords to Remember – Up 100% – A MINUS
22. Computer Stalled-6 times (overload) – A MINUS
23. Computer Breakdown – 1 (repaired since then) – A MINUS
24. Social Media Browsing Time – Up 100% – A MINUS
25. Internet Shopping – Up 100% – A MINUS (products & shopping experience)
26. Mall Visits – Down 90% –A PLUS
27. Zoom Family Connect – Up 100% –A PLUS
28. Lives Lost (in close family and friends) – 4 – A MINUS
29. Prayer Life – Up 80% – A PLUS
30. Gratitude Feeling – Up 100% – A PLUS
31. Clarity of Purpose – Up 100% – A PLUS
32. Meaning and Value of Life – Up 100% – A PLUS
33. Toiletries – Up 60% – A MINUS
34. Water Consumption – Up by 30% – A MINUS
35. Home Television /Movie Watching – Up by 50% – A MINUS
36. Reading – Up 60% – A PLUS
37. Social Presence – Up 100% – Forced due to work – A MINUS
38. Chocolate Consumption – Up 25% – A MINUS
39. Tolerance – Up 50% – A PLUS
40. Resilience – Up 40% – A PLUS
41. Empathy – Up 50% – A PLUS
42. Anger Management – Up 50% – A PLUS
43. Waste Consciousness – Up 50% – A PLUS
44. Patience – Up 30% – A PLUS
45. Listening to Podcast – Up 100% –A PLUS
46. Social Contacts – Up 100% – A PLUS
47. Understanding Self -Up 50% –A PLUS
48. Understanding Children – Up 75% – A PLUS
49. Understanding Wife – STILL NOT SURE 😊
50. Lifestyle Discipline – Up 60% – A PLUS
Judge for yourself looking at the PLUS’s as against the MINUS’s. Therefore, I do not complain about MY COVID YEAR. Practicing #gratitude is always a good thing, It may be different for you, yet it is worth doing this exercise.
What are you grateful for in your life right now? Please share your experiences and feel free to comment.
Conclusion:
Life is unpredictable. That is the fundamental truth we all must learn to accept. In that acceptance, lies strength. This perspective then makes life simple and to keep it that way is difficult. Many of the difficult circumstances or tasks we encounter are usually because they are unknown to us, and we find ourselves in unfamiliar territory. Napoleon Hill stated in the classic book Think and Grow Rich, “Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it a seed of equivalent benefit.” The more you are willing to seek a solution, flex, adapt and adopt, the more you will benefit from your obstacle, and the more you will find what is good in it.
Welcome difficult times, they teach you a lot and reveal your true #character and thus your true self. And it is this character that will carry you toward the good times to come—and give you more strength for the next time you experience a tough period in your life.
STAY SAFE, BE WELL!
The Win Is Within You!
Dr. Owen Fernandes, MBA
