COVID-19 – My Personal List of recommendations for optimists.

Last modified on Jan 16, 2022

Last week I wrote a Blogpost titled COVID-19 – An essential short guide for optimists to thrive.

This week I’m giving you my personal picks to help optimists like yourself thrive out of the pandemic.

If you have not read my previous Blogpost you can read it here, just click the link below. https://www.linkedin.com/embeds/publishingEmbed.html?articleId=7853232024369813333

Here are my personal recommendations for you if you feel trapped and want to move forward in the pandemic.

Blogging

This is a personal favourite and very close to my heart, why?

Because I had been interested in this for a long time, and now I am proud to say, I have taken off my procrastinator hat and actually made the plunge head first into blogging, primarily because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

All I can say is that I’m loving the freedom to explore and share my thoughts and you can have this same blissful feeling if you just get started today! Why today? Well if not today when?

What I love the most about blogging is that you can pick any topic and write about it, if you are passionate about make-up, cars, politics, religion, helping people, travelling, even fashion, it does not matter, the possibilities are endless, so go for it, make that keyboard work!

Here is another wonderful bit, from the comfort of your own home you can blog or write about what you love and make money from your Blogposts. Yes you can!

Blogging as a profession can make you money through advertising, whether it is for other brands or your own company, the potential is there for the taking.

Additionally you can springboard towards becoming a freelancer who can be hired by others to write on their behalf and that pays as well.

There are so many opportunities originating from this that the video below would explain perfectly. https://www.linkedin.com/embeds/publishingEmbed.html?articleId=9201597995270116703

Blogging is a great way to promote your business and your personal brand, writing a blogpost might sound like boring stuff, but, if you like to write or you have something that you want to say, this is one area you should definitely look into as a form of expression.

Another powerful benefit of writing Blogposts is that it’s not just a good past time and business tool, but it’s a therapeutic activity as well, writing can really help you structure your thoughts and feelings.

So if Blogging is something you would like to get into then by all means start making notes and take the dive, “you are good enough” and believe it or not there are people like me waiting and wanting to hear what you have to say.

Become a Mentor

Question: When the best time to mentor someone?

Answer – #anytime.

Mentoring is such a high value transaction that only those who engage in its glory can earn and spend its currency. Mentoring is an exchange that allows you to pour yourself into someone and see that person transform before your very eyes, all because of your self-sacrificing efforts and value.

If you have been a mentor like me, you know perfectly well how wonderful it is to serve someone so powerfully that you change their lives quickly and significantly.

Imagine forming a mentoring relationship with someone who doesn’t quite have their next move clearly chartered out, their mind is confused, their actions minimal and you get in that space with them and like a fireworks display all of a sudden you see their true potential begin to emerge.

Before you even know it, you cannot recognize the person in front of you, all you know is that person is simply amazing and they’re telling you how much you have positively impacted their life.

How deeply satisfying is that?

To see someone succeed and know you helped them achieve that happiness and strength in life.

Well believe it or not mentoring is a natural function in nature, the animal kingdom can provide you with example after example with species after species.

How else can they survive the dangers of the world?

The human race is by no means an exception.

But why do we mentor? Why even bother?

Well, we mentor others for a variety of reasons, one reason why we teach, train, and guide others is to help them to gain competence and become self-reliant. But most importantly we mentor to ensure that when hard times are faced, it is met with an intelligent mind, a strong will and skillful strategy.

So in a nutshell we mentor others to ensure that they take their place in the world and face the hard times with strength and finesse.

Now is one of those times!

I am sure a quick Google search can show up many mentorship programs you can join or partake in.

You may sit and think, is this worth it?

Let me pose this value proposition to you, if you are not having difficulty during this hard time, you are doing well! Others are not so fortunate.

Sharing what you know and what you do can help so many people, why hold that in when you can be a force for good. So many people are at home confused and stressed right now and you can be their antidote to this chaos.

All it takes is a genuine commitment from you to the person and the process.

Now I know “social distancing” how am I to mentor someone? We can’t meet remember?

I am well aware of the restrictions to meet, which is why the use of a technology is so prime in this time.

As I said earlier the new normal is not defined it is only assumed.

The final point I want to make about mentoring is simply this, “you get what you put in” so if you put good deeds into the world maybe not you but a close friend or family member may receive the dividends of your investments that you made today in someone else.

So what are you waiting for? You have the permission, the heart and the knowledge, go out there and change someone’s life today.

Read

Never trust anyone who has not brought a book with them.” – Lemony Snicket

I cannot overstate the power of this action, reading a book while being quarantined would give you the opportunity to grow exponentially in the comfort of your own home.

The power of reading cannot be mapped, but can be validated, how? By simply looking at the successful and accomplished people in history, they would all carry the same weapon “a hunger to read and a book to hold.”

Why do they do that you may ask? Because,

Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body. —Richard Steele

In this time it will be rough, it will be a difficult time to get comfortable in, but it is not forlorn. There will be harsh undertakings, social distancing itself is against our lovely warm nature, and lockdowns only build anxiety because human beings love to roam free.

Man! If only we had a way to free ourselves?

Well you can, and there is a way as Kofi Annan intelligently enlightens us “Literacy is a bridge from misery to hope.” Ah yes Kofi say it again my friend!

Take that challenge, pick up that book and get that ticket to cross that bridge.

Reading for the Kiddies

I hope you are thinking, Wow! That sounds powerful, thank you for that wisdom, let me go over the bri…hold up, wait a minute, I have kids and they don’t like to read how do I get them across?

That’s easy!

Give them a gift. Give them a book and unleash their passion and unlock their minds.

Yes, yes, yes, But “they don’t like to read” …. Oh please!….pshhhhh!!

There is no such thing as a child who hates to read; there are only children who have not found the right book. —Frank Serafini

Give it a try find something they are interested in and find a book to match that topic. There are a lot online so do not hesitate to look or if you have a home library more power to you!

I know reading is not everyone’s “cup of tea” but if you seek knowledge it will provide you with a life you never knew and a path you never want to stray off.

A book has the potential to nourish your life, many businesses, promotions and even personal developments have been found within two covers of a book.

So just try it, pick a topic you are interested in and start reading about it, and soon you will see as time passes your knowledge bank is being filled.

A lot of people take to the internet, ebooks, audiobooks, versions like that, all good and fine, the point here is to get into the acquisition of knowledge, that’s the goal.

Why?

Because reading is a life skill, if you cannot read how can you truly extract the best out of life, how can you grow and truly become the person you want to be, wisdom is the key and reading carries that key purposefully for you.

Start an Online Business

We are neck deep into the online world, and I even dare say the technology age has made the COVID-19 issue a little softer and manageable.

Could you imagine if we did not have the technology we have now? Can you survive quarantine without the internet and your smartphone? I Know, I know, don’t cry, its ok there there!

I am not saying this is the case for everyone, I know some of us are experiencing hardships like never before, but for those of us who have the technology available, what is your take on it?

An online business can be a very lucrative venture in this time. It pays no mind to the social distancing, it breaches the quarantine barrier without having to leave you house and most importantly you can still connect with your customers.

Businesses take time to develop and grow, but if you start now and develop your presence when the new normal is achieved you would be known, your customers will already be familiar with you.

Some examples of an online business are;

• · Coaches – Life, Business, Wellness etc.
• · Personal Branding Professional
• · Social Media Marketer
• · Author
• · Website designer
• There are countless others and I know you are creative, so don’t be afraid, take your time, think about it and go after it. If this is something you wanted to start then now is your opportunity turn tragedy into triumph.

Rebrand yourself

You read that right, Rebrand Yourself, if you are unhappy about your current state then do something about it. The thought of rebranding is not for the least socially popular people it’s for everyone.

Why is branding important?

Branding is who you want to be known as, and in order to be that person you have to change, tweak, or overhaul who you are.

When you hear the words, Doctor, Nurse, Fireman, Police Officer I am sure you have a specific image that comes to mind.

Why is that?

It’s because their name is synonymous with a specific image, value, job description and even prestige.

That is why it is important to rebrand yourself, if that is your desire then set the roadmap. Some simple ways to start the process is to change things such as:

• · Social Media Presence
• · Skillset
• · Your style – clothes, shoes, hairstyle etc.
• · Your audience/professional circle

I am not a personal branding…….well anything….but you catch my drift and there are loads of information online and Branding Professionals who can move you from zero to hero.

So if you want to walk into that machine as Steve Urkel and come out Stefan Urquelle, then right on baby!! *winks eye violently thinking it’s seductively but it’s not… sorry…next slide please*

Redefine Goals

Another “Re” in the list but this time it’s redefining your goals. Maybe you have had some success, or just a change of heart towards some of your goals, maybe some new passion has emerged and it has taken you by full embodiment and you want to engage in that area wholeheartedly.

By all means my friend, go for it!

Goals are essential in life, it provides focus, accountability, and prompts us to charter a path and strategy and it makes us confident and accomplished in those endeavours.

So take the time to look at your old goals and if you don’t have any then please set one or some.

There is also nothing wrong about going back to old ones and reviving them, if it’s something you want to accomplish then put them on the list and start working towards achieving them.

Spend time with family

This may come as a no brainer but now more than ever we need strong family bonds. If you take a look around the world you may see the effects of a broken home and that should not be, but it is, unfortunately.

So while you are home with the kids, and the spouse, strengthen that relationship, find out what they like, what they want to be in life and how you can support them.

Ask them about their fears, about the troubles they are facing in life and most importantly reinforce love by telling and showing them how much you love them.

Make memories before it’s too late, because memories don’t always ease the pain of a lost loved one, we are all on borrowed time so let us make the best of it.

Do not look at it as I’m stuck here, look at it as I’ve struck gold here!

“Remember me with smiles and laughter, for that is how I will remember you all. If you can only remember me with tears, then don’t remember me at all.”– Laura Ingles Wilder

There are a number of activities you can do as a family that strengthen relationships such as:

• · Cooking
• · Playing games
• · Talking
• · Eating meals together
• · Cleaning together

Do not let this time pass you by and miss opportunities to make up for the times you were not there.

What is done is done, put that behind you and focus on the now, now is the time to start a new trend, now is the time to show them all how much love you have to give!

Kitchen garden

To be honest this doesn’t take much to create and all you need is the resources that are mostly present already. It is simple and can be fashioned to suit you and your household/cooking needs, a kitchen garden is not only a good source of food but it’s also a cost initiative.

You can also go a bit further and get into a slightly larger garden if you so desire but if you must start small make it tailored to what you need.

Being able to grow, harvest and cook your own food is the ultimate feeling of accomplishment, don’t rob yourself of that opportunity.

Plant today, reap tomorrow!!

If this Blogpost was helpful to you and you want to dive into your own life, then feel free to book a FREE consultation with me. I will leave all my contact information below.

Email: perpetualshiftcoaching@gmail.com

Phone: +1 868 761-5816

Click Here to book an appointment.