STOP & THINK

Where were you ? Where were you before the world ground to a halt in 2020 ? What were you working on ? What did you value ? What was the most important thing that took up your time ? Were you rushing to work ? Off to meetings ? Maybe you had commitments...

Did you ever think that everything would just stop ? Did you take time to pause and wonder what was really going on ? People have seen so many disaster movies, read so many different scenarios that they just freaked out, panicked, bought up everything in sight and never stopped to think.

How many people actually needed 20 packages of toilet paper ?

If it wasn't so important to get to the late night meeting with clients, or work overtime or try to squeeze every last drop out of the day to accomplish something in line with our goals maybe all of us would have taken the time to reassess what is important, make sure that we took care of our food stocks, supplies, and ourselves. Too many people spend too much time working and taking care of other people that we seldom think to take care of ourselves... and then something comes along to slow us down.

Coincidence ?

How many people when they are rushing take the time to wash properly ? How many take short cuts and cut corners to go faster ? How many of us are guilty of "good enough" when we know that we can do better ? When a virus can be defeated by hand washing ... really ? Do we ALL need to be taught proper hygiene ? These are things that we were taught as children, grew up knowing how to do and what ? We simply "forgot" ? Its not that simple is it... we compromised. That is the BIG adult word to say we cut corners, we made it simpler, easier, we wanted to go faster .... for what ? Who won ? Who lost ? Did you get the promotion ? The raise ? The recognition ? Did it actually do anything to better your life or was it more time dedicated to a goal that continues to seem unreachable.... who actually paid for it ? Your spouse ? Your kids ? Your lover ? Your friends ? Did any of this actually make you sit back and wonder what was so important then, that has come to a complete stop now...

Sage advice ...

My Mom used to say that if we didn't take care of ourselves, nobody else would. That was sage advice. Global epidemic's are not new - influenza, SARS, MERS, measles, typhoid, tuberculosis, the black plague ... we as a species have suffered through many different diseases that have crippled us and then made us stronger. This time it spread faster and wider because of modern methods of travel and ineffective means of measurement and containment because it was unanticipated ? Or was it because in going faster we have gotten sloppy and taken so many short cuts that we needed to be reminded to wash our hands. Brush your teeth. Take a shower. Get a hair cut. Clean your fingernails. Go to the gym. Get a check up. Go buy groceries. Stock up on toiletries....

The list goes on...

I am sure that all of us can add to this list. I am sure that all of us are guilty of taking short cuts, going faster, and forgetting to take care of ourselves. So its time, everyone is having to sit this one out and enjoy some personal space and alone time... slow down, get back to basics and stop cutting corners. Enjoy the ones you love, they are more precious than any job, meeting, work commitment, sale, bargain, deal...