At the start of each year, I send out positive ideas to assist goal setting for the year ahead and further into the future.
This year feels different. At a time of uncertainty, we cannot know when life and work will return to how it once was. For example, we do not know how long lockdown or tiers will last, when we can or will feel safe to travel again, and when most people will again work from offices, shops and venues.
Or will life as we knew it, pre-March 2020, change substantially for the foreseeable and longer future?
Positive Learning
Since the pandemic has engendered so many difficulties, so much loss and isolation, challenge and change, and overbearing demands on our health workers and other keyworkers, I decided to take a different approach and ask people for their positive reflections and learning from the past year. These may be of help when you come to set new goals whilst still in lockdown.
Ten Reflections
Here are ten of the reflections people have highlighted:
1) “Since my world became smaller, confined to local walks, I’ve noticed the environment around me so much more. Bird sounds, changing colours of the trees in the seasons, the flowers blooming out of season.”
2) “Since I stopped rushing from here to there and everywhere, I’ve taken stock, stopped and thought about my wellbeing, my selfcare and my personal growth.”
3) “I realise there are some things I can do without and it’s been an opportunity to save money. I’m lucky to be homeworking.”
4) “Now I no longer spend 3 hours a day travelling, I’ve had time to literally put my house in order, to decide what to throw, what to keep and what to send to charity once the shops are open. In the words of William Morris: ‘Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.’ ”
5) “I’ve had time to catch up on paperwork that’s been sitting for ages. I haven’t quite finished but I’ve made a good start.”
6) “I’ve realised how important certain people are to me and have made an effort to really keep in touch and keep in touch more than before. I’ve developed stronger friendships over Zoom or Facetime. We tend to talk in more depth instead of sending quick messages about where to meet and what to do.”
7) “I started to feel stale from spending so much time at home. As I couldn’t travel and get out and about as before, I decided to make some changes to my environment. I went online and bought a bright coloured throw for my sofa and colourful cushions. I regularly order flowers for my lounge and kitchen and I’ve put up a beautiful photo of a lily pond. They lift my spirits.”
8) “Having been furloughed from March, and now working from home, I’ve been able to allocate time to learn new skills. I’ve taken IT courses and public speaking and can do coaching online and practice without interruption in the privacy of my home. I’ve also kept fit physically and mentally with yoga and mindfulness. I’m looking to learn Spanish next”
9) “I’ve thought a lot about my career and the importance of being able to turn my hand to different things. I’ve developed my existing skills am actively looking to change my job, perhaps even my career. I’ve used this time to get my CV into shape and practise interview questions so that I’m ready and don’t get into a panic if I get a call for an interview at short notice!”
10) “I’ve got involved in helping in the community. I contacted a volunteer group on Next Door to get shopping and prescriptions for people who don’t go out. I’m also collecting for our local Food Bank. I’m helping others, it’s true, but I’m also helping myself, meeting people I wouldn’t have met and feeling I’m doing something useful when so many people are struggling with the everyday.”
I’d like to add here my own thoughts and experience. I’ve personally had access to so much of interest online and really enjoyed it. I’ve taken lots of virtual holidays with virtualtrips.io including to Berlin, Budapest and Yellowstone Park. I can revisit with a knowledgeable guide places I’ve been, decide where I’d like to when travel opens up, see the sites I’m unlikely to visit. I’ve been able to watch opera, ballet and theatre from the comfort of my home and at accessible prices and listened to umpteen lectures free including from the Guildhall Library.
I have visited the underwater world of Dry Tortugas National Park and flown over a volcano in Hawaii. (Click here for details.) I’ve chosen to watch comedy as a counter to the seriousness of the world situation and host friends gatherings every Friday and Saturday and it feels like I’m going out at the weekend!
Others have told me they have made new friends on Meet Up and started new relationships from a distance on dating sites.
I also appreciate that some people with small children will have less time or need other outlets. It’s important to consider options which work well with your lifestyle.
Into the Unknown
As we move further into 2021 you may find some interesting prompts here to reflect or act upon; some you may well do already. So this January I see as a time to focus on ways to improve quality of life while there are limits on our lives over the coming weeks, to make some changes, plan for the future such as how you want to work, and keep focused on the light at the end of the tunnel.
