What I've learned so far during Quarantine...

So here we are on April 22nd on day "I don't really know" of Quarantine. It has been quite an experience, to put it mildly. I don't have to tell you what's been going on in the world in terms of illness and deaths or the clash of opinions, facts, and politics. We all have been privy to all of that. But what we are not privy to is the private journey that we have each been on during this time in our history. Each and every single person is taking this time and using it in different ways. Some people have taken the time to get closer to those that they love, to appreciate the things that they have taken for granted, and to get clarity on what is really important to them. Others have been in a deep depression whether they have personally gotten sick, know someone who has gotten sick or passed away, or is dealing with the financial and emotional ramifications of what we are going through. We are all processing everything in our own way. There are so many aspects of this that haven't even been thought of yet, it is truly crazy. People are stuck at home with people that they love or they are stuck at home with people that they need to get away from. There are families that have to quarantine one of their loved ones to one room of the house. There are so many that are struggling that it truly boggles my mind. Nonetheless, I believe that each one of us can find a lesson or several during this epidemic that can benefit us for the rest of our lives.

Honestly, it has been such a strange time that at the beginning I was at a loss. I felt confused, sad, angry, and anxious to just break out of the house and continue living the life that I have been accustomed to. I had this desire to just make things normal again and be done with this nightmare. It was crazy and without the support of my loved ones and my recent journey of #75Hard, I don't know how I would be today. I was so focused on the things that were going wrong that I let fear settle in and let GRATITUDE shift into the background. It seemed like a dark cloud had settled over the world and that it was over.

Globally, this has been a time unlike any in our lifetimes. But, after taking time to think and try to gain some sort of clarity, it is similar to difficult times that we have all encountered. I mean, has there ever been a time in your life where you thought that all was lost and that there was no end in sight to the pain or difficulty that you were dealing with? Because I know that I have and I have definitely seen others lost in the dark before. When life is at it's darkest, when all hope seems lost, all we have left is our FAITH. I don't care what or who you believe in, but to get through the worst times, you need to have FAITH in something. Whether that's having FAITH in a solution or in God or in some sort of higher power. FAITH allows us to conquer fear and darkness.

The concept of Social Distancing was non-existent in our lexicon prior to a little over a month ago, and now it's part of our every day. The funny thing is that we used to talk about how social media and our phones were causing us to be distant from each other and now those two tools are some of the only things holding us together. I mean, have you ever been on so many Zoom calls, Facetime, Facebook Messenger, IG DM's, etc... Nope, neither have I. I feel connected to those that I love and to my colleagues in some ways more now than before. Each conversation seems more like a gift than another to-do. Hesitation in answering some calls isn't like it used to be. The need for human connection seems to be alive more today than at any time that I can remember.

As I was mentioning before, when this started, I felt that every day for weeks, I was in a dark place. I allowed the outside world to affect my mind. I was even getting mad at myself for allowing the world to affect my mind. I have been very purposeful in fortifying my mindset but I let my guard down for a bit and it didn't take long for that monkey mind to start getting comfortable. I doubled down on working on my mindset again and for me that starts with working out. I make sure to go for walks and runs throughout the day, following the safety protocols of social distancing and wearing a mask when that isn't possible, and I started working out indoors, which I can't stand. It is a process but I could feel my mind kicking back into the gear that I love being in. Getting that 1 habit back in place started a domino effect which is helping me stay focused. Self-care became my priority again and I went back to the fundamentals that I learned in 75 Hard and with the SAVERS routine from The Miracle Morning. Starting my day with Silence = Prayer, Meditation | Affirmations | Visualization | Exercise | Reading | Scribing = Journaling (SAVERS) has been transformational.

As my mind started to get closer to normal I started focusing less on what was out of my control and more of what I am in control of. When they started talking about the $1200 checks as part of the stimulus package, I started seeing people celebrate and I totally understand and respect that for many people $1200 might be a gamechanger, but that amount of money will not change your life nor will it be there for the entire length of the pandemic. It reminded me of a lesson that I learned on an episode of the MFCEO Project by Andy Frisella, where he spoke about self-reliance and the cold hard truth that the relying on a 3rd party to save you is a key to failure. Whether that is the government, friends, relatives, colleagues, there is no one that can make you succeed besides your self. Victory won't be handed to you, it has to be snatched from the jaws of defeat. You have to be self-reliant and made a decision to do whatever it takes to get yourself to a better place in life. During this pandemic, that decision can start with a plan, and then it needs to be followed by ACTION. There may be a lot we are limited on but we still control how we act, what we do, how we improve, what we say, and our attitude at the very least.

The domino effect that began with working out continues as I regained my focus on my Goals. I was watching a webinar where it was emphasized that we shouldn't lower our goals due to the current situation but that if we want to move our goals, we should raise them. Honestly, a large part of the reason that I was feeling so down was that I felt that my goals for this year and the future were slowing washing away. After listening to a few podcasts and just feeding my mind with motivational information, it clicked that while the path to my goals may have changed, the goals themselves are what I have made a COMMITMENT to. You need to have goals BIG enough that you will do anything, within reason, morals, ethics, and the law, to achieve those Goals that you have set. Focusing on my WHY really helped with locking this back up into my mind.

With all of that said, the steps and lessons above really took hold once I re-established a routine in my life. I started waking up at a specific time, or close to it, in the morning. I got back into my intermittent fasting, my daily webinars, my daily tasks, and my timeblocks. I'm focused on establishing the ROUTINE that I want to come out of this with or as close I can. I didn't really realize how important a routine was for my life. It really has made me feel more in control of my life because it does let me control quite a bit. I am not the most disciplined person in the world, far from it, and for that reason I've come to appreciate routine and using my calendar to reinforce that routine while protecting my time.

I know we have all been to classes, webinars, read books, listened to podcasts or have been part of conversations where people talk about what I've learned during quarantine. I have guilty of taking notes during many of those and for not taking action and implementing what I've learned. This lockdown has forced me to come face-to-face with myself and really dig deep into what is truly important in my life. After much self-reflection, with all this newfound time to think, I am much more clear on what those things are. The lessons and tools that I have implemented during this time are all there for a reason. I am laying a foundation for a better life moving forward. I've put a true emphasis on my goals by making sure that the small controllable steps that I am taking every day move me closer to my goals and dreams. So start small. Seriously. My first step was working out. What will yours be. Find your Anchor!