What if we treated the last two and a half months like an elimination diet for our lives? We were forced to quit all of the excess cold turkey, but now – we get to slowly reintroduce elements of our old lives. Isn’t it worth examining which of those old elements actually brought us happiness? What if you realized during this time that there were some habits you actually felt better off without? Certain people that you didn’t miss. Why go back to exactly how things were before?
From what I’ve seen in my 30+ years, life hands us very few opportunities to do a hard reset. So you just might want to take this opportunity. I’m definitely not one of those people going around calling this time “a blessing” – it wasn’t. Millions of Americans are out of work and nearly 100,000 families are grieving a loved one. But in the race we all seem to be in to return to “normal” – why not shift the sails and create a new and improved normal?
I’m honestly still not sure what the rest of this year will look like for me – but I do know that when everything was pared down to absolute basics it was easy to see the things that actually brought me happiness. My closest relationships, my home here in New York City (with or without the usual energy), exercise, reading & writing. And honestly – I really loved working from home. So I want to find a way to continue focusing my energy on each of these things and growing where I can. What would your new normal look like?
(Images are from this original post two years ago)