Time: A Precious Gift Provided by Covid-19
You’ll never have this amount of free time again. How will you use your time?
Before I dive into the Covid-19 pandemic, I want all of us to take some deep breaths: Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out. Now rest and pat yourself on the back because you have officially made it to April. I don’t know about you, but the month of March felt like the LONGEST month of my life and it is crazy to see how much has changed during those 31 days.
Everything was normal just a few weeks ago. People had jobs, kids were going to school, and we couldn’t wait to hang out with our friends over the weekend. Next thing you know, BOOM. The coronavirus outbreak took thousands of lives and has left millions of people financially, mentally, and emotionally struggling to keep their head above water.
Remember those six million jobs Americans had a few weeks ago? Gone. Remember those schools that welcomed our children with loving teachers? Those schools are closed and now the parents have to find ways to teach their kids. Remember those times when we used to get our favorite drinks from the bar and socialize? Those were the days, right? But as you know, that ship has sailed and it will not return to shore anytime soon. Spring is officially cancelled and the way things are looking, Covid-19 may progress and disrupt our summer plans.
Despite the uncertainty, these unexpected and unprecedented times should be a huge eye-opener for us. Everything we know and love can be taken away faster than we can blink — and in some cases, that has already happened. Our sense of normalcy is gone and has shifted to the new normal: Social distancing and staying at home. EVERYONE has been affected by Covid-19 one way or another and it will take a while for life to get back to normal. But one thing the global pandemic has blessed us with is time.
People have extra time because they are working from home while other people’s extra time stems from their recent unemployment. Whether we see it this way or not, we were granted extra time on our hands, courtesy of Covid-19. Now, my question to you is:
“Will you capitalize on this extra time?”
Somewhere in the world, people are creating businesses that we never knew we needed. Somewhere in the world, there are people who decided to use this time to get into the best shape of their life. Somewhere in the world, people are maximizing their time by learning a new hobby, trade, or language. Now that is what I call being productive! Even though we will see a lot of people being a good steward over their time, let’s take a look at the other end of the spectrum.
With this extra time, you will also find people that aren’t taking action to get ahead personally and/or professionally. These people will fall behind and get left in the dust as they binge-watch the latest Netflix show while eating their “quarantine junk food” snacks.
Life comes down to the decisions you make and we all have a choice as to what we want to do with our time. My good friend, Sebastian Baytan said it best:
“Time truly is one of, if not the, single-most precious commodity in this world. It is one of the things we can never buy, nor can we buy it back.”
So, I will ask you again: What are you doing with your time? Are you pursuing a life-long interest or dream? Are you getting ahead in your career? Are you taking care of your mental health? Are you writing that best-selling novel that will change people’s lives? Are you reaching out to your elderly family members and loved ones? Are you checking in on your “strong” friends?
With this additional time, what selfless act are you doing for someone else? Are you staying at home and keeping your social distance?
I wanted to bring awareness to the precious commodity of time. Time comes, time goes, and time does not wait for anyone. Although this stands true, there is no better time than the present and as we weather this storm, I encourage you to stay productive, stay on top of your mental health, and stay disciplined. My time here is done. Your time starts now.
