The Coronavirus outbreak has brought the world to a screeching halt.
No one’s rushing. The roads are silent. Malls are empty. People are confused. The global economy is declining. Governments are overwhelmed. The world is falling apart.
All of a sudden, nothing seems certain. Our existence itself is a question. The level of fear and uncertainty we are currently experiencing is unprecedented. We are scared of stepping out, we are scared of the system, we are scared of not being in control, and now we’re also scared of each other.
In times like this, fear is natural. We’re afraid of everything. Fear has crippled us. In other words, we have allowed the fear to take away our freedom of life.
Think of it for a moment. Nothing in life has any meaning unless the one we give. If you think this is the end, it is — you can be even more fearful. And if you think this is a new beginning — you will set yourself free.
“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”
Viktor Frankl
The way from fear to freedom is through FAITH.
Faith is not learned, it’s something we are born with. Faith is what fuels us through times of fear and uncertainty. It is more powerful than any emotion, even fear. When all hell is breaking loose, it gives us the ability to find our center, to help ourselves and others to find answers, to find a higher meaning in the midst of our pain and in spite of our fear.
Faith is knowing that at our core we’re more than anything we will ever face, and we can handle whatever life brings to us. That is the power of the human race.
We have the resourcefulness inside ourselves that says no matter what happens in life, who I am is bigger than anything that could ever happen to me or anyone I love. No problem is permanent, and nothing that happens is pervasive.
Life is both pain and pleasure, opportunity and challenge, birth and death. There is a season and a time for everything, and it’s not for us to decide what the right season is, or which season we should be in. It’s our job to embrace the season that’s been given to us.
So, what are you going to do during the time we’re in? Are you going to sit back in boredom — eat Cheetos and binge-watch cringy shows? Or, join the fearful crowds, magnifying meaning and exaggerating risk to the point where there is only the worst-case scenario? Will you create disempowering emotions and bring yourself and others down? Or will you discipline your fears, stand guard at the door of your mind, rise to the challenge that is right in front of us?
Regardless of what’s happening around you, there is a part of you that’s strong. Call on that part of you. The part of you that’s hungry. The part of you that is courageous in the face of unfathomable fear. The part of you that won’t put up with excuses, smallness, and bullshit. Call that part of you forth – call that part of you to step up to become what you were MADE for.
It’s what you practice in private that you will be rewarded for in public. This is your private time, this is your time for training, for practice, to prepare for what’s ahead. If your health is less than you’d like it to be, focus on improving that. If your relationships have become stagnant or distant, use this time to reconnect with your loved ones. Business owners, sit down and take the time to work ON your business, to strategize, to envision the business that you need to become in order to succeed in the new environment.
Make your map. Plan. Learn. Grow.
The meeting of preparation and opportunity generates the offspring we call luck.
– Tony Robbins
With time, the world will evolve. The crisis won’t last forever. It will end, sooner or later. And when it does, the economy will need extraordinary people. The kind of people who wouldn’t take no for an answer. The ones who relentlessly pursue growth and continue evolving even when everyone else is busy complaining about the government or economy.
Partying, and binge-watching may be fun for a while. But you should also know that while you are busy chilling, someone out there is working rigorously on themselves — getting better day by day and minute by minute.
With changing times, they may take away your place if you fail to upgrade yourself. Now is the time. Step out of your comfort zone and take your life several notches above ordinary.
Raise your standards.
The world is going to need people like you.
Take that freaking class. Complete that book. Start that project. Learn that skill. Tell your loved ones how much you appreciate them. Acknowledge the blessings of life. Do whatever it takes to emerge as a better being. Make your move today — even if it seems uncertain. Even if it’s uncomfortable.
Nothing has ever been achieved except by those who dared believe that something inside of them was superior to circumstances.
Bruce Barton
You are not a coward who will keep blaming everyone else for all that’s happening around. Take control of your life and be a freaking beast.
Don’t let the fear of uncertainty cripple you. There’s nothing in the world more powerful than our zest to unleash our true potential. The human spirit is unshakeable. Let’s prove it. Now is the time we put aside our indifferences and stand by each other. Let’s overcome this gracefully.
With that being said, I am Aditya Bhavsar signing off with this beautiful couplet…
टूटने लगे हौसले तो ये याद रखना,
बिना मेहनत के तख्तो-ताज नहीं मिलते,
ढूंढ़ लेते हैं अंधेरों में मंजिल अपनी,
क्योंकि जुगनू कभी रौशनी के मोहताज़ नहीं होते…
Thank you so much for tuning in. I’ll see you again. Till then take care and be the force behind all the good that’s happening. God bless.
