Personal life events happen to knock down the prison walls of your mind. Are you going to rebuild the same prison or run the hell out and take the second chance?
My good friend Larry once said to me that when prison walls are blown apart, two kinds of people will emerge.
One will cry and desperately protest, trying to build their prison walls back up again.
The other will look beyond the wreckage of what they once knew, and see the landscape for what it truly is.
This couldn’t be more true right now.
Some have reacted to the arrival of COVID-19 (and the subsequent pausing of our lives) with denial, fear, rage and sadness.
Others have reached out with love, kindness and compassion, relishing this time to be alone or with their families; stepping forward when they are needed the most.
Some are desperate for their lives to return to normal, exactly how it was, as though nothing had ever happened.
Others want the change they feel in themselves to be reflected in the world – a different one to pre-COVID times.
Look Beyond The Walls.
Yes, it is true, the virus has brought about a deep sense of uncertainty and fear.
The economy, travel, education and healthcare are all being tested beyond anything we have ever experienced in our lifetime.
However, the virus has also brought together communities, families, a deeper respect for key workers (who are the backbone of our economies), and for our environment.
We may have been physically cut off from our loved ones and communities but with the advancement of technology over the past decade, we are still fortunate to be able to reach out and connect simply by lifting our phones.
We have been given this time to pause and reflect for a reason.
The rat race is suspended.
A Time of Transformation.
As we ease out of ‘lockdown’ what kind of person is emerging from the muddy waters?
Personal life events happen to knock down the prison walls of your mind.
We have just experienced a global life event for all on our planet.
Are you going to re-build the same prison?
Or run the hell out and take the second chance?
Personally, being in lockdown helped me to get a better sense of what was charging my energy (my inner spark if you like), and what was draining it.
I have made a conscious decision to limit or move away from activities and people that do the latter, making sure that I stick with this even when life speeds up again.
I’ll leave you with these parting lines.
I have certainly been trying to live by them over the past few months.
Do less, Be more.
Speak less, Listen more.
Judge less, Love more.
Consume less, Create more.
