Life looks a lot different today than it did just a few short weeks ago. COVID-19 transformed the ways we go to school, earn our living, and even engage with one another.
As difficult, uncertain, and frightening as life during a global pandemic assuredly is, it is also a moment of great power and profound opportunity. There will never be a better time than now to reflect on your life and what you want to make of it.
Setting Goals
The pandemic isn’t going to last forever, and soon the usual rat race will begin again. So now, while you have the time to be quiet and reflect, why not create a vision board for all those dreams you’ve somehow let fall by the wayside?
Then, when you have a vision of what you want your life to be, set about making a plan for achieving it! Use small, strategic goals that will move you incrementally toward that larger vision for your life.
Once you have your goals in place, though, don’t forget to celebrate when you’ve achieved them. Establishing milestones and honoring each small achievement will help you to track your progress toward that big picture dream. Best of all, it’s going to keep you motivated and moving forward, even if, for a time, coronavirus seems to have everything at a standstill.
Get Your Financial House in Order
A dream that many of us share is the dream of living debt-free, maybe even of being able to retire early. Well, there’s probably never going to be a better time to start making that dream a reality.
While you’re finding yourself spending most of your time at home, why not take a no-spend challenge? There’s no better way to learn to separate your needs from your wants and to stop spending your hard-earned money on things that don’t really matter!
Hit the Books and Grab Your Passport!
As hard as it may be to believe, you will be able to travel again someday soon. So why not put the wheels in motion now to go after that college degree or earn a few more professional learning credits, while also getting another stamp in your passport?
Study abroad programs are an incredible way to combine the best of both worlds: the benefits and pleasures of advancing your education, while also pursuing the adventure of foreign travel?
And as our world slowly returns to normal, you may well find yourself blessed with a rare opportunity to experience some of the world’s greatest cities before they’re overwhelmed once again by international tourists. There will never be a better time than now to experience foreign travel as the world renews itself.
When we emerge from our shelters and, above all, as we are released from the shadow of fear, it will be a return to vitality. If anything, living through this pandemic has given us all a deeper appreciation for the beauty of life, a deeper desire for new experiences, such as those that studying abroad can provide.
Become a Servant Leader
It might not be a new degree or the opportunity to study abroad that really lights your fire. You might be dreaming of climbing the corporate ladder.
Maybe you want to advance in your current company, or maybe you’re yearning to start an entirely new career. No matter what, though, the best way to begin is to figure out what kind of leader, what kind of professional, you want to be.
Outline your values and your vision. Consider not only your own career goals but also how you can help your team, present or future, understand and achieve their own. There are few dreams more powerful or fulfilling than helping others live their dream as well!