There’s Life after Coronavirus: 4 Things to do during a Lockdown

There’s been no bigger news than the coronavirus this year. The world economy is on a brick of collapse if this pandemic doesn’t end soon. Millions across the globe have already lost their jobs and several hundred thousand are likely to lose their lives in a year that many had hoped they’ll finally achieve their goals. 

All is not lost though! I can’t remember another time in history where the world has united to defeat a common enemy. We shall surely prevail and there would be life after Covid-19. I’m quite curious to see where the world goes from here in terms of health care systems, future of work and how as individuals, we plan to live our lives. If you’re under a lockdown, this could potentially be the time to start thinking about how valuable your life is and what specifically, you’ll like to achieve on this earth. It’s no time to be bored but rather a time to engage in activities that are good for the mind, body and soul.

Self-reflection and Deep Thinking:

You can only begin to look at your future only when you understand your past. Self-reflection and deep thinking are harder than we realize because it reveals so much about who we are and why we do the things that we do. Our mind has a defensive mechanism against all things that criticize our actions and beliefs and therefore we owe it to ourselves to know the truth. When we start engaging in deep thinking, we begin to challenge common beliefs and notions that lead us to make long-term decisions that are in our best interest. We may want to ask ourselves questions relating to our career, religion, business interest, relationships, amongst many others. Whatever we decide is for us and no one else, hence, you better be happy with the decision.

Read a Book:

Most of us grew up reading books for the purpose of passing exams and it never became a frequent habit to pick up books that could be valuable to our daily lives. It is estimated that the average CEO reads as much as 60 books a year and these are people that are considered to be the busiest people on the planet. If you’re under a lockdown or working from home, there’s never a better time to read that book that you bought and have kept somewhere hidden.  Right now, my go-to book is “The Success Principles by Jack Canfield”. It’s partly a motivational and partly a business book but I can tell after just under 100 pages in, it does have a lot of gems and some of the best inspiring quotes I’ve seen in any other book of the same genre.

Naturally Improve Your Immunity: 

Your immune system is your body’s natural way of fending off illnesses. A healthy immune system can recognize and neutralize a pathogen, an organism that causes disease. There’s a lot of information circulating the internet that having stronger immunity can wade off coronavirus deaths. Whilst there’s some truth to this, it’s a bit more complex. Your immune system has to work in a certain way. It should not be boosted or go into overdrive else this increased activity could itself lead to other complications and illnesses. Therefore, the only known way to help your immune system function properly without suppressing it is by practicing good lifestyle habits such as eating a diet high in vegetables, seeds and fruits whilst reducing simple sugars, exercising regularly, managing stress levels and sleeping properly for at least 7hrs daily. You should also avoid habits that could damage your internal organs such as smoking and excessive drinking. 

Since I am unable to visit my local gym, you can decide to join me and partake in this bodyweight exercise that can be done from home.

Begin a journey of personal development:

It doesn’t matter whether you’re working for yourself or for someone else, we are majorly seeking meaning and purpose in our lives. I’ve rarely conducted a job interview where a candidate did not include “ personal growth” as a reason to want to change jobs. This is because as humans, we don’t like being stuck or when things are static. If there’s a next level, that’s where we want to reach and when we get there, we seek the next one. 

Nevertheless, you are unlikely to get to the next stage of growth if you’re not;

1. Quite sick and tired of your current state
2. Purpose-driven and doing it for YOU and not for others
3. Honest about the skills and resources that are required to get you there
4. Ready to dedicate a considerable amount of thoughts and time towards taking the right actions; and
5. Willing to make the necessary sacrifices to yield the desired results.  

If you’ve done the self-reflection and deep thinking exercise, then you’ll have some clarity of thought on what’s important to you and start developing a course of action. I can give you a short framework for reaching your personal goals:

1. Create a Vision Board;
2. Assess your current capabilities and values;
3. Create a Personal SWOT Analysis;
4. Develop a roadmap and timeline for developing new capabilities;
5. Review periodically alongside the targets on the vision board.

If you own a small business, you can go further and align your business goals with your personal goals. Amar Bhide created a guide in his Harvard Business Review article released in the November-December 1996 issue.

In the earlier years of a business, an entrepreneur’s business goals are highly linked to his or her personal goals. The only time there’s a disconnect is when the business is owned by multiple people and there are divergent thoughts. Nonetheless, on a very basic level, if you fully own and control the business, It all boils down to what you want to achieve, why it’s important to you and acquiring the resources and capabilities to execute the strategy and derive the target results.