Time to Reset?

I recently received a message on Instagram from one of my friends. It said… ‘I’m going to be looking to you for lots of calm during this chaos. Just so you know…’

So that got me thinking; perhaps that’s what I need to contribute to this process. In fact, I think we all need to play our part in maintaining calm and connectedness. If we all play our part, imagine the power we would collectively generate.

One of the problems I see with humanity as a whole, is that we don’t step up to play our part. We think we are not able, not qualified, what difference can our small part make? Because of this we don’t use our voices. Instead, we elect to leave it to someone else to take care of. But the power is in the numbers. It’s in the small, consistent efforts made by a huge number of people that have the capacity to change things.

Instead of working together as we should, we are constantly working against one another. Instead of lifting others so we all rise, we are often trying to push past, go faster, higher, smarter or be better than the next person, just so we can be in front.

That’s not what life is about. There is enough to go around, for everyone. There is enough abundance for us to share in collectively. The world is a better place if, instead of competing with one another, we learn to cooperate, and in doing so, we all get to reap the rewards.

Take a look at the world as it is today, which is so much different to what we have known it to be. There is an incredible amount of fear. What is fear? It is the absence of love. Fear also comes from the fact that we believe we need to control everything. We are uncomfortable when we can’t see the finish line. Instead of backing ourselves to make appropriate decisions, we want to know the outcome before we commit ourselves.

You have the power to control the outcome just by having faith that all will turn out the way it is meant to turn out. You have a choice to view it positively, and therefore your experience will reflect that. Or you can choose fear, and let me tell you, your experience will be negative.

As a human race, we have come to expect things to be a certain way. We go along our path each day in autopilot, often losing sight of what’s really important and focussing on what we believe we lack rather than what we have. We are often discontent, and in constant pursuit of something to supposedly make us happy. But happiness is an inside job. The only place you will find that all elusive thing called happiness is within you.

So right now, we are being forced to stop and reflect. Everything around us is literally being shut down so we don’t have to make any choices. They are being imposed on us. We think we can’t go without something; we don’t want to make sacrifices… but now we have no choice. And yes, most of us are going to suffer some hardship and that is the heartbreaking reality of all of this.

There is no place that remains untouched or unaffected by this virus and its consequences. In the fields I have contact with; health, education, sports, not for profit, and commercial business, it feels like we are battling a war where we were caught off guard and there was not enough intelligence being collected on our opponent. The opening of each box brings about yet another set of issues to deal with and there are a great number of boxes which keep appearing. But this is worse than the wars fought in the past. Whilst those impacted the world as a whole, some could be physically sheltered from it. This current war doesn’t discriminate and has a much greater reach, spread and consequence.

Let’s consider the bigger picture of all of this, because, yes there is always a bigger picture. In this case, I am not talking about conspiracy theories. Even though I love a good conspiracy theory myself, to go there serves no purpose other than entering into darkness and drama, and none of us can afford to do that right now. The situation is what it is. We have to take a practical approach and follow the rules, protecting ourselves and our loved ones. But while we sit in quiet contemplation, I do believe on a higher level there is much more to this, that we can learn from.

The truth is, that when we find ourselves up against a wall, we can do it! We can be resourceful, looking at what we have to work with and creatively making decisions that best serve the people we are responsible for. It is so heart-warming to see people offering to help their neighbours, checking up on people. Right now, when someone asks ‘how are you?’ they actually mean it and care about the answer.

The dialogue is the same all over the world as we all battle the same enemy. Right now we are all equal and the challenges we face are the same. Every business, every organisation, every government, every person has had to put everything else aside to deal with this same situation. Everything else, just for now, pales into insignificance.

So right now, everything we thought we couldn’t do without, or we couldn’t manage, is being tested. In the end, humanity will win, it always does. But there will need to be changes and sacrifices, and we will learn to live with them and adjust to a new sense of normal. We will get through this, because that’s what we are designed to do.

Take this enforced shutdown to be a time to reconnect with yourself, with what is truly important. Declutter your life and your surroundings, losing anything which no longer serves you. Look after your health, particularly your mind. Look after your loved ones, those who are most precious to you. Check in on your friends, even the strongest ones need to feel connected. Smile at those you encounter along your path because we are all in this together. Do those jobs you are always far too busy to do. Get to know yourself on a deeper level. Be creative; try something new. Most of all though, don’t buy into fear. Reach out to others if you need help. (Anyone who needs me, I am always here!)

On my walk yesterday, I felt a noticeable shift. More than ever, I saw entire families out at the park in the middle of the afternoon, kicking balls around, riding bikes, and enjoying the outdoors, observing appropriate distancing of course!  I realised that with many parents working from home, they were available at this time of the afternoon to spend quality time with their loved ones.

There were fewer people on their phones. There was a sense of camaraderie in the air; people smiling as they walked past and courteously maintained a wide berth to protect your space. It felt like the world was moving slower in order for us to be able to appreciate those simple things.

This will all soon pass. The earth just needs to shut down for a little while so it can do a hard reset and replenish itself. We should be doing the same. Everything will come back online soon, and this time will go down in history as a time where humanity stepped back to connect with their true purpose and the things in life that should never be taken for granted. You will forever remember where you were and what you did during this time. Make them count!

“Challenges are gifts that force us to search for a new centre of gravity. Don’t fight them. Just find a new way to stand” Oprah Winfrey