3 Key Learnings from the past 150 days

Life will never be the same again. The last 150 days have brought a lot of changes within and a lot more around us. It was unimaginable that we would stay in confinement and distanced from each other for so long & still find ways to be productive, rather more productive. All of us stretched beyond our comfort zones and continue to do so without giving up. We have been relentlessly battling against daily challenges without giving up, and that too in unison. 

I read this inspiring line - The blunder this COVID 19 virus has done is that it has exposed itself to humankind. The only way left now for the virus is to die. It will be contained, and it will get defeated. It’s just a matter of time, and we will see it happen. The big question is when and the follow-up question is – what more do we need to sacrifice for it? 

While many inspiring & successful stories have kept most of us going, many have lost a lot in this ordeal. Their life has turned upside down, and the new normal is not ready to accept & accommodate them the way they are. In financial services, we have learned that any financial setback takes you back by 6 – 8 months. You will bounce back, even if there is a physical or emotional loss involved. This is how we all are wired. All you need is to hold on for the 6-8 months of challenging times and keep your eyes & ears open. Life teaches you a lesson, and you must take note so that you clear the exam & pass out with flying colors. Some of us may complain that a couple of questions are out of the syllabus, but trust me; you will find the answer. All you need is to think hard, consult in case you need, look around for signs if you have to, but giving up is not an option. 

The last 150 days were unprecedented for me, and I am sure it was for all of us. I would like to share the top 3 learnings that I have picked up in these times with all of you:

1) Life is full of uncertainty: This is the first time the whole world experienced the power of this statement with the pandemic and the global economic activity downturn. It caught a lot of us unaware. We never thought life, as we know it, would come to a halt. There are businesses that had no exigency plan for a situation like this. While some of us were blessed to be in a business that could go on with a ‘Business Continuity Plan’ in place and work from home, but many others were left in a lurch. No plans worked for them. Not because the business was bad or the people running the businesses were less talented, but the model couldn’t stand the test of the time. The whole economic sense went kaput.

The message is that there is more & beyond than we can think and plan for. Life will not stop springing up surprises. This may be just the beginning of a new era for mankind. While we all can hope and pray for good times, that can’t be our strategy for life. We need to have a personal plan for such times. You need a plan for the person / brand that YOU are. And I am not just talking about a financial plan but a physical & mental plan as well. Times like these do not just push us back financially but physically and emotionally as well. With no physical presence of our social fabric around, things can get tough. All we need is mental agility & strength to take things in our stride and keep walking forward. 

2) ‘Fear of death’ is now the deadliest of all the weapons: Corona continues to have an official mortality rate of less than 3%. Simply put, out of 100 infected, three may die. There are more deadly diseases than Corona. While the spread of other diseases is not as ‘user’ friendly as Corona, but once infected, the result can be more deadly. No one wants to live in fear, and when forced to, we do follow the rules. But we all need to take a deeper look at the situation around us. To my mind, fear stops you from being audacious. You tend to stop thinking & working on new ideas as it put limitations on you and the resources needed to execute your plans. While we must be aware, careful and cautious in our approach, we must not let fear creep in. It’s a sure-shot way of losing a battle, and when it’s the battle of Life, then the consequences are way too high, as it has our loved ones as the impacted party. So be extra careful but don’t give up on some daily rituals / activity which is your identity. 

3) We need to keep reinventing ourselves: Times are changing fast. We don’t operate in the same environment anymore. Things we took for granted, come with a price now. We value the small stuff more now than the big ones. While we spent our lifetime hoarding all kinds of stuff, we realized we don’t need most of them to live peacefully and healthy. While life kept us busy with things we thought were very critical and important, we realized in these times how irrelevant they are. The big lesson that we learned is that no one seems to be interested in what we have. All the world cares now is what we are. Are we healthy? Are we agile? Are we mentally strong? Are we willing to learn? Are we ready to keep reinventing ourselves?

These times have taught all of us one lesson for sure. One version of us will not suffice. We need many more versions of the tech that we have built inside over a period of time. To my mind, gone are the days of ‘Subject Matter Experts’. We need a jack-of-all-trades, one who can fit many bills. I believe we can’t work on just one particular thing, anymore as a prerequisite for our success. We will have to find a way to survive and thrive under all circumstances. Ground rules of success are being rewritten. We can’t just hold to the old ones. The good news is that no one is an expert anymore. The guy next door is writing the new set of rules for the world as he has figured it out all. He doesn’t have any extra skill set. All he has is the hunger and desire to know more & do more. He is challenging the stereotypes & rewriting the code. Well, he like many more, is the future. We all will have to follow suit. We can’t give up on ourselves and hang up our boots. If we get this reinvention thing right, trust me, we will be relevant for the next 3-4 decades and will work till our age 70-75. 

You may choose to work formally for fewer years, but you can be gainfully employed for a lot longer duration. Don’t forget that work no more necessarily means ‘Office’ or stepping out of the comfort of your home and reaching a physical brick & mortar structure. All you will need is a sane mind & a medium to reach the world. You know what I am talking about, right?

I am sure you have picked your learnings too. Please write it down and share with all your friends and trigger a chain reaction of learning fire. Wishing you all a very happy and impactful life ahead. Take charge of your future today. Start now!!    

Sandeep Mishra