What will you do with your “Great Quarantine of 2020” opportunity?
Will you say “Wish I had…” or “I’m glad I did!”
Time is a precious commodity these days. So often we claim that we don’t do the important things with our families and our relationships, because we just don’t have the time. As Steven Covey points out in The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, we prioritize the “urgent but unimportant,” those things that steal away our precious minutes but bring no lasting value. The ‘quadrant two’ activities are those that are ‘non-urgent but important’. When we look back on our lives, these non-urgent but important activities are the ones we remember most.
Right now, we have an epic opportunity before us, and we can choose how to use it.
If you have time home with your kids, what projects can you accomplish? What stories can you share with them? What is one thing you can teach them? Legacy is made of this stuff, that which you pass down.
What about your elderly neighbor? Now you have the time to help them out. Invite them over. Listen to their stories. Make their year.
What about that single parent who needs a hand with childcare so they can work? Can you take up a little slack and give them some peace of mind?
There’s a story….
What about that book you’ve had stuck in your head all these years? You have a message for others to hear, yet you have never taken the time to get it out there. Now, you can finally contact Michelle Prince of Book Bound and find out how to get that draft on paper! You would then have something tangible to show for your time.
Andy Stanley often points out that we should think about “what story we want to tell.” When your grandchildren ask you about this time, what do you want to say you did? Will you talk about how terrible it was? How scary it was? How everything came grinding to a halt? Or do you want to tell a story about how grateful you were for the chance to stop and do something important?
This will be talked about for years – decades to come. How would you like history to remember you? What do you want your children to come away from this time with? You are modeling for your kids how to handle a challenge. You are setting a precedent for how you expect them to behave in their adulthood. Use these moments wisely and you will have prepared them well.
Positive or negative – you choose
The news and social media tell us that the sky is falling, but what if this moment in time is the catalyst for each of us to do something amazing? Younger generations are watching and listening. What can we teach them right now, though our actions, about courage, optimism, strength, purpose and community?
We can view this time as frightening, dark, uncertain and so many other things. Or we can see an opportunity to spread light and hope and do the things that have been on our list for a long time. No matter the situation – a positive outlook always has a better outcome than a negative outlook.
Remember, everything we do has a ripple effect. With a little thought and effort, you can turn the quarantine into something you want to remember. The actions you take today and the things you say today can make a significant impact on you and your family. In a time when we feel powerless in many areas, how you handle it is completely within your control.
As Zig Ziglar liked to ask – will you say “Wish I had, or glad I did?”