Another entry, this time from a different perspective and with an exercise at the end.
I want to share with you how my quarantine has been, but mostly I want to share the lessons I’ve learnt in this 178 days.
First of all a quick intro: as many of you may know I’m was born in Uruguay but I’m currently living in Perú for a bit more than a year now. I relocated for an amazing job opportunity that was the beginning of a great journey. As a side note I live by myself, and I’ve spend the whole quarantine time alone. It’s been a long time for me to think, fail and learn, and I feel comfortable sharing this with you.
This article is about what I’ve learnt in almost six month of isolation, 4.444 km (2.761 milles) away from home and family.
Disclaimer: We’ll dive into personal and professional topics.
#1: Balance
I’m a proud workaholic, I tend to invest a lot of my time in work and I love that! Basically that’s the thing I’ve been focusing on for the past two years, and I’m grateful about that, BUT after this six month of being at home I realized that productivity is directly related with rest time. So my first lesson learnt is: set boundaries and take time for yourself and what makes you happy, and if work is the thing that fulfills your heart just dive deeper and you’ll find something else (yoga, photography or something you really enjoy).
#2: Connect
With yourself and with others, this lesson comes with a double meaning. The first one refers to the ability of being in contact with yourself and your environment (NOT production or sandbox haha) – a bit cliché I know, but is so important. Before this crazy times I wasn’t connecting with the way I feel about things. I watched a movie thinking on what to cook, or cook thinking about work. I didn´t reach the highest point of connection yet, but for now I’m able to enjoy what I’m doing at the present moment. I’m mindful about me and my surroundings.
The second meaning is about the community connections… I’m not sure where to start, I’ll just say that the amazing community I’m involved right now helped me to (1) not became crazy, (2) be my best version, (3) find the right path. I had the chance to have amazing mentors spread all over the world, and to create deep connections with people in places that I’ve never imagined. T H A N K Y O U ! And the best part is that the best is yet to come… stay tuned 😊
#3: Explore
Another point that goes in many directions. I explored where I was, where I wanted to be, I even created a gist plan and a drove a self-assessment session(s) to understand how to achieve those personal and professional goals. I also needed to explore my inner self, and be able to know me. Spoiler alert: I did! And I’m so happy for that…
I also realized that there are great resources out there to explore and dive, Mentoring clubs, women in business and technology, people open to listen to your story (the Swing Shift for example!).
#4: Be honest
Every time I start to feel comfortable I’m uncomfortable, so I’m always pushing myself to new things. That’s nice and exhausting at the same time, but I love it. If something taught us the pandemic was to be mandatory connected with our needs, maybe you realized you wanted to start playing an instrument, changing your job or leaving your partner. All of the examples are pushing you out of your comfort zone, and that’s a way of being honest with yourself.
#5: Appreciate
I wasn’t able to hug, kiss or talk face to face to my beloved ones in this time, so I started practicing this appreciating thing from distance on daily basis. I tell my family and friends how meaningful they are to me, how much I appreciate coincide in this amazing journey.
Quick exercise:
I encourage you to answer the following questions and share it with me if you want to (sounds like an Osho book, but’s not).
1. What’s your journey right now?
2. How challenged do you feel?
3. Do you know you?
4. What are you grateful about today?