Covid-19 - An opportunity to reinvent yourself

By Lloydon Bramwell

Photo by Kathy Servian on Unsplash

When the news broke of Coronavirus in 2019, I never imagined the impact would have been anything to this magnitude. My supposition was that it would be something that only Asia had to worry about. I never imagined this disease would result in anything serious since coronaviruses have been around for decades. My thoughts initially were; this is just another strain, nothing too serious. My strategy was to pay little attention to all the rhetoric about this virus and stay focused on the objectives at hand. However, the media would not allow it as it quickly became the most talked about subject, next to President Donald Trump. 

Coronavirus was everywhere from memes, to YouTube videos and even at church – it had become the new trending topic globally. But as the news spread, so did the virus with an increasingly accelerating speed and pace. It started as an epidemic in Wuhan, China and then quickly became a global pandemic in a matter of weeks by crossing the borders of China into other Asian and European countries. At this point there was no way to avoid the noise. The novel Coronavirus now called COVID-19 was real and it was time to start paying attention.

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In a jiffy, COVID-19 entered the Western Hemisphere and everyone including government agencies, private companies, educational institutions and nonprofit organizations had to start preparing for what seemed to be a life changing experience. When the news broke that the first case was reported in the United States of America (USA), I knew it was only a matter of time before it would cross our borders. Little did I know that it would not come from the USA but from the United Kingdom (UK). The Ministry of Health (MOH) announced it and just like that our little island was infected.

Everyone was in panic mode. This reminded me of the massive earthquake that rattled Jamaica in January this year. My first response was to contact my family members. Phones were ringing off the hook. Anxiety took over, everyone was so uncertain and scared at the same time. The question for most was, “Is this really happening?” Yes, it was – time to start buying up hand sanitizers, alcohol, Lysol, and any type of disinfecting agent. The tension was palpable. 

In less than a week, hand sanitizers had become scarce resources. People were stocking up and everyone finally started to take the memes about sanitizing seriously. Normal life as we knew it was no more. The new norms were sanitizers, WHO, CDC and town-hall meetings. From freedom to lock down. To combat the spread of the virus, governments implemented measures that imposed travel restrictions triggering the shutdown of airports, ports, hotels and resorts. Social & physical distancing was also enforced; resulting in further closure of schools, some companies and cancellation of events - causing major disruptions to the local and global economy. 

COVID-19 had arrived. Welcome to the new norm.

Remote working and learning for one was expected. This had been on the roadmap of many organizations for quite some time, but they had to quickly pivot and prioritize resources to make this a reality. Employees, who were comfortable working in a nice fancy office, with air condition (AC) all day and water coolers, now had to adjust to working in the “comfort” of their homes. Maybe it is not so comfortable. The kids, the siblings, your spouse. I mean, it’s not that you don’t love them, it’s just that you never imagined you would have to spend seven (7) days with them. The weekend was enough, right! Nevertheless, you had no choice, COVID-19 is the new norm. It seemed painful at first but as I continue to ride the waves I realized this COVID-19 storm is not a hurricane after all. There are many negatives that can be said about COVID-19 and the impact it has on us; however, I have come to realize that this may be a blessing in disguise. Here are a few positive outcomes due to COVID-19 in my perspective:

Spiritual connection 

Life before COVID-19 was just going so fast. Sunday to Sunday felt more like 24 hours than 168 hours. 

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We had so little time for ourselves and much less for God. Prior to COVID-19 I had never seen so many people call upon God or even use His name so often. Praying and quoting scriptures became a thing. Everyone was asking for God’s intervention. I do not know how this may have helped some people to develop a better spiritual relationship, but it definitely did for me. Sometimes we unknowingly put so much trust and hope in man but during these times we are able to reconnect or develop a deeper connection with the One who is truly in control. The Alpha and the Omega.

Family time 

So many of us pay rent/mortgage for a home in which we spend so little waking time.

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Your home was primarily for sleeping and getting ready to hit the road. However, COVID-19 has redefined the home as a place where we work, learn, eat and play. 

Now that we are always home, we get the opportunity to invest some valuable time with our family. The truth is we do not get the chance to really understand and connect with the people closest to us, our family, if we don’t spend time with them. Weekends were just not enough and were primarily focused on chores, homework, errands etc. Despite the issues you may have had in the past, now is the time to find a resolution. I mean why not, you are now forced to see each other every day. Whether you like it or not it is time to really bond with your loved ones.

Relationship Growth 

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A friend of mine recently said that COVID-19 will put his marriage to the test. Many of us have unresolved relationship issues that were ignored for so long. Work life and weekend errands kept us so busy and it was the perfect excuse not to talk about it. Now avoiding the elephant in the room is just not an option. We must tear down the walls that were built. So many things were left unresolved but guess what – there is nowhere you can go, so just deal with it. The truth is that while this may make or break some relationships, others will gain new meaning and strength for which you can thank COVID-19. For those that break, think of it this way, COVID-19 has saved you from wasting one more day of your precious life.

Reflection 

This is not an area most people focus on enough. Normally people

reflect at the end of the year, birthdays, anniversaries etc.

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We do not carry out nearly as many retrospectives as we should in order to truly grow and develop as we would like. Some just cannot find the time while others are just afraid to face the reality. But now we have all the time. 

When you constantly examine your life, you can always identify areas for improvement. Now is the time to assess the goals on your vision board. Reflect on your journey and ask yourself these questions. Are you doing the things you really want to do? Are you spending time with the right people or hanging out with the right crowd? Are you just existing or are you really living? Can I add more value to me, my family, my job, my business, my friendships, my spouse? Do not be afraid to come to terms with your reality. The quicker you do so, the faster you will achieve your goals and become the legend you truly are.

Knowledge - New Skills Set 

Adulthood brought many responsibilities, benefits and stress. However, one thing I have benefited from is maintenance insomnia which is a form/type of insomnia. This form of insomnia results in difficulty staying asleep, waking up too early or struggling to get back to sleep. At first, I just thought this was something common to all adults caused by the mountain of responsibilities and stress that adulthood brings. I was overwhelmed at first, but then I realized how beneficial this could be. 

I began to use this time to read, study, work and just catch up on things I was not able to complete during the day. Don’t get me wrong – getting a good night’s rest is important and I have found ways to battle with my insomnia.

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One such way is by doing lots of cardio or weight lifting in the evenings to tire myself out and therefore sleep longer throughout the night. I also benefited from going to bed early; which is a practice my parents instilled in me when I was a boy. 8/8:30pm was bed time and not a minute later. However, for those who are not like me, COVID-19 has given you the opportunity to use the added time to learn something new. Use the time to read that book you always wanted to, subscribe and watch that YouTube channel you never had the time for, do some short courses or even further your studies. Now is the time to learn new skills and expand your horizons.

I could continue to talk about all the benefits that COVID-19 brings and we can agree that there are a lot more. I hope reading this has given you a different perspective that will change your life for the better. COVID-19 has given us a second chance to reinvent ourselves. Seize it!

About Lloydon
Lloydon is a financial services professional, who believes in the power of digital solutions in enabling better experiences for consumers. As a digital transformation advocate, his focus has been on simplifying customer journeys, making it easier for them to access financial goods and services. 

To connect with Lloydon, follow him on LinkedIn.