46 ways to improve your life right now

At Talentfoot, it's not in our nature to dwell on the negative. We are in the business of changing lives – for the better. Our culture centers on opportunities to improve lives. Unfortunately, times like these make it tough to focus on the silver lining. That’s why we put our heads together to brainstorm bits of goodness to remind us life is still beautiful. 

Take a few minutes out of your day to think about how you can improve your circumstances. Most of us are trying to survive through daunting challenges. Nevertheless, we found 46 acts of kindness and opportunities to thrive in the new normal.  

Inspiring acts of kindness and hope 

• Saving lives for years to come: The coronavirus is heightening awareness and sensitivity to spreading germs and disease. What does this mean? We will see an overall reduction in highly preventable deaths as people are much more aware of being careful around the most vulnerable, washing hands, and staying socially distant. 
• Newfound corporate missions: Businesses are shifting what’s possible to contribute to the collective good. Companies from Ford to fashion-designer Christian Siriano directed their factories and people to build ventilators and PPEs. And those are just two examples.  
• Applauding heroes: Individuals and businesses are finding ways to support essential workers through GoFundMe campaigns, contributing to food banks, providing meals to frontline workers, and even sewing PPEs from home.  
• Celebrations: Police officers, friends, and family give ”drive-by” birthday parties and celebrate veterans. 
• Pride: The American spirit of generosity and goodwill shines through every rainbow a child affixes to their window or "We Miss You” sign posted in a storefront. We honor that kindness. 

We take comfort in watching our communities' band together in the face of the coronavirus. We find peace in indulging in some of these benefits to our personal and professional lives.  

How can you improve personal relationships?  

• Find new ways to connect for celebrations like birthdays, graduations, and life events. Your family and friends can develop new traditions.  
• Get to know the people you are quarantined with (partners, roommates, and family members) on a deeper level. At times, togetherness with kids is trying, but it’s also a chance to learn more about what makes them tick and what puts a smile on their face.  
• Learn about what you need from your relationships with family and friends. Be an advocate for what will make you happier. For example, realizing you need 30 minutes to recharge, and deciding to take a solo walk each day. 

How can you have a positive impact on others?  

• Send messages and love to essential employees 
• Support local businesses through ordering take out and contributing to GoFundMe campaigns 
• Drop off COVID Care/I Miss You packages to friends and family  
• Contribute to a foodbank  
• Donate food to a mini food pantry 
• Teach your kids about community service  
• Attend community bear hunts or birthday parties, create an encouraging chalk drawing, or window sign

How can you improve yourself?  

• Read books 
• Listen to music and podcasts to further yourself and build new skills 
• Find a virtual therapist 
• Go on walks and observe nature  
• Reprioritize the importance of your health, family, and friends 

What are other positive ways to spend your newfound time at home? 

• Watch those shows/movies you wanted to binge  
• Catch up on sleep 
• Support local restaurants by ordering takeout 
• Take time to learn a new language with easy to use apps like Babbel 
• Master brewing your own cup of coffee – a habit that can save you loads of money
• Adopt and acclimate to that pet you always wanted  
• Play games like Life, Pandemic, (with caution!) Uno Flip, Scrabble, Monopoly, etc.

How can you build professional skills? 

• Attend webinars on any topic that interests you 
• Sign up for eLearning classes – Pluralsight is running free classes this month! 
• Read all those newsletters that pile up in your inbox and reorganize your inbox  
• Participate in a roundtable discussion  

What are some ways to build professional relationships while distant? 

• Talk to your mentor 
• Connect with team members one-on-one through video conferencing 
• Connect with new and old colleagues on LinkedIn. People want to hear from you!
• Build a personal brand on LinkedIn by sharing relevant content and engaging with others 
• Offer to become a mentor to a junior colleague; you can learn a lot by teaching others 

How can you become a more valuable member of your team?  

• Leadership is needed now more than ever. This is your chance to step up and show your ability to work at the next level while pitching in for others who don’t have the same ability to work 40+ hours/week.
• Volunteer your skills to different departments  
• Build relationships with recruiters, you just never know when you may need them most
• Generate ideas to grow and support your business  
• Provide your colleagues with useful tech support as they try to learn video conferencing (offer to write instructions)  
• Suggest other ways for colleagues to virtually connect – like Slack, Teams, Skype 

How can you take care of yourself?  

Remember, you do not have to use your time at home to reinvent the wheel. These are trying times and most of us have new responsibilities like child care and more worries than ever before. But we urge you to start a habit of taking care of yourself, even if it’s for a few minutes.  

• Do one thing each day that makes you happy: go to the Starbucks drive-thru, open a window and listen to the birds sing, or sit alone in your bedroom.  
• Take a bath or long shower 
• Fuel your body with nutritious food  
• Exercise (walking counts!)  

What can you do to make your life better, if only for a few minutes a day? Maybe it’s reading some positive news from John Krasinski or taking five minutes to take a few deep breaths. Hang in there, improve your life in little ways when you can, and take care of yourself. 

Keep reading the Talentfoot blog for corona-content to work smarter during these turbulent times.