How are you all feeling? Coping? Reflecting?
I recently got on a Zoom call with a couple of ladies from The Fem League last night to check in on each other during these trying times. To see what we each needed and how we could support each other. Once I got off that call, my mind started churning and out of it came these 100 daily reminders we all need as we ride out this pandemic.
I’ve always seen transitions and hardships as opportunities to come out stronger with more clarity on our purpose in life. As someone who primarily works within the travel industry, I long for the day when I can watch the sun set on distant shores again.
But until then, here are 100 daily reminders in life to reflect on as we all battle this pandemic:
- Our health is our greatest wealth
- Isolation beyond one’s control is a cruel space to exist within
- Acknowledge and listen to each other more often
- Routine is sorely underrated. We need daily routines to maintain some level of sanity
- Check in on friends, colleagues and family frequently
- Most of what we consume online and on social media is unhealthy trash. Well, except memes.. Memes are everything and healthy trash 😉
- If you’re self-employed and haven’t been diversifying, now is an excellent time to start reconsidering future sources of income
- Even minimalists among us still have more crap than we all truly need
- There’s no good in storing up tremendous treasures on earth when we can share them and uplift others too
- For believers, let’s rest in God’s promises often
- For atheists, resign yourselves to the fact that the universe and its energy is so much greater than we will ever be able to fully comprehend
- There is an extremely thin line between freedom and greed
- We’ve underestimated the importance of being still, doing nothing for awhile and focusing our thoughts with intention
- We’re a lot more creative and innovative than we think we are. It’s time to delve into both
- We need to reevaluate the value we each bring into the world
- Transitions are opportunities to deepen the work we do
- What we do individually has more direct impact on others than we fully realize
- We crave human touch and interaction with strangers much more than we’ll ever admit
- Simple eye contact and the act of greeting strangers feeds our souls too
- Your lack of personal hygiene can potentially kill others beyond body odor and bad breath
- Daily exercise is important
- Your diet is your natural medicine
- In addition to strong faith, you need to do the work too because “faith without works is dead” – James 2:14
- Find meditative practices
- Pray more
- Reflect more
- Reduce your impulses
- Spend more time with your kids. Put away your smartphone when they crave your attention
- Reduce your screen time
- Pick up your hobbies once more
- Allow yourself to suck at something and be vulnerable
- Extend more grace to others than you’ve done in the past
- Be kind
- Be grateful for even the littlest of things
- Be generous
- Pause from work and get out for fresh air , even if it’s just on your balcony
- It’s much easier to cultivate empathy than you’ve originally thought. It’s an active choice
- You choose how to spend the same 24 hours we get each day
- If it’s truly important to you, you will find time to do it
- Rest and relaxation is vital, if not life saving
- Hustling for the sake of hustling is grossly overrated
- Transitions in our lives are massive opportunities to reinvent ourselves
- Social media, blog traffic and follower counts are less important than you think in the grand scheme of providing value. Don’t be a slave to them
- Re-evaluate your business and how agile it is
- Your talents matter now more than ever. Stop hiding them.
- Traveling is so important in our lives and I miss it. You don’t know how much you value something until it’s gone
- Learn how to share space confidently
- Your politics should never replace your humanity
- We can always disagree respectfully
- Self care is not selfish
- External validation from others is so overrated
- Sustainability should always be on our minds. We need to take better care of our planet. She’s finally breathing, while we’re all holed up indoors.
- The most important things in life are the simplest things without any fanfare
- Learn to give people second chances and benefit of doubt. Third chances are debatable.
- Forgive and forgive some more
- The energy you exude is a lot more powerful than you know
- You probably don’t need that extra donut.
- Try to prioritize achieving work-life balance that works for your own situation
- We are not superhuman. We need to stop exuding that to others. We are vulnerable humans who can do incredible things when summoned to. But we’re not superhuman.
- Reduce your waste
- Recycle
- Reuse
- You can survive on much less
- Free your mind from social media more often
- Read widely. Yes, even historical romance with bare chested men wearing kilts.
- Going 100% digital is our new normal. Hopefully the Internet holds up.
- Start cooking again. You will be the grandpas and grandmas passing down recipes in the future.
- Learn a new simple recipe every two weeks.
- Aggressively curate what you consume
- Learn to say no to requests that no longer value your time
- Break down structures that disadvantage others. Pandemics respect no one based on age, race, or creed
- Ask others how you can support them. It may be as simple as staying silent so they can cry on the phone
- For those of us who struggle with discipline, we have to face it and learn how to become disciplined
- We’ve probably been buying too much online because of free shipping
- It’s okay to binge-watch shows as an escape. It’s better than binge-eating chocolate
- It takes a village. We all need community and if we don’t have one, we can be the ones to build one
- While your own problems may seem minuscule in the grand scheme of life, they are also valid. Don’t let others put you down because of them
- Do one thing daily that requires your hands on physical paper… journaling, painting, writing lists, drawing, sketching.
- It’s okay to be scared. Just don’t let fear incapacitate you
- Let things go. Life is too short to hold grudges
- The sky is big enough for all birds to fly, so operate from a mindset of abundance
- Keep learning. There’s so much more you can learn
- Stay humble. Humility during these times of narcissism and instant gratification is so underrated
- It’s okay to keep your circles of loyalty small and tight
- Call in instead of call out. I’m done with “cancel” culture
- What good is a closet full of shoes if we can’t wear them out? It’s time to pare down our lives and what we truly need
- You’re much stronger than you give yourself credit for
- Spend less and save more money
- Even when doing your best with pure intentions, you will never please everyone
- Be the neighbor who cares even if others don’t
- Let’s resign ourselves to the fact that we have less control in life than we initially thought. Our futures are deeply interlocked and intertwined with others.
- Seek beauty in simple things
- It’s okay to be quiet sometimes. Not everything or every situation needs our voice, comment or involvement, unless it’s injustice.
- If you’re still racist in 2020, you’re the most selfish, ignorant, and clueless person to ever exist. Punkt slut
- Hardships reveal who we truly are as people. If you don’t like what bubbles up to the surface, now is the time to work on yourself.
- Fully show up in your life as authentically as you can. Oversharing isn’t the same as being authentic. Being vulnerable and admitting you don’t know everything is
- You can make a difference in small ways by supporting those who are making a difference in larger ways
- We are absolutely nothing without each other.
- “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” – Philippians 4:6
- Oh, and learn how to properly wash your butt with soap and water. There’s only so much toilet paper you need in life!
Am I missing any crucial reminders? Please share below and we can keep extending this list.