Since COVID-19 hit our world, this past year has turned our lives upside down. 2020 was a personal life changing year with ever changing economical hardship.
While remote work and online schooling have become the new normal, countless jobs were lost due to financial cutbacks and business closures left millions without stable sources of income.
A fluctuating rate of cases and millions of country-wide deaths stunned our nation as new variants, health precautions and rules have governed our lives.
The focus of thriving on our personal journeys has been led by simply prioritizing our survival. By no means can each individual be afforded an opportunity to build without the help from others- family, friends, professionals, strangers and governments.
The mere thought of not only surviving another year of this pandemic but thriving is overwhelming at first, but achievable long-term. We have begun a new year of unfamiliarity and new lifestyles, why not try to help each other thrive in these moments and cooperatively progress the redefined normal of community and collaboration.
“Don’t let your fear of failure prevent you from realizing the joy of success”
David T Rosen 2018
How to stay motivated and what motivates you doesn’t have to be another obstacle faced and created alone. What motivates me day in and day out, especially through during times is / are
1. Help from family, friends and professionals
Seeking out a helping hand from the ones you are closest to gives a sense of comfort in the knowing that with a team force we can overcome any difficulties we may be facing mentally, spiritually or physically.
There is always help to be offered. Talk to someone you’re comfortable being vulnerable with and do it consistently. Whether you choose a family member, a friend or a professional, mental health is the top priority to excel in every aspect of your life.
Utilize online resources and social media to fill your life and your feeds with accessible content that helps to bring stability of comfort. Go to your official government website to find a list of free and available resources.
Speaking of maintaining your health, staying active coincides to cultivating a healthy lifestyle. Keeping up with your exercise routine is the perfect reason to go outside and keep ourselves out of isolation. If your preference is in the comfort of home, online classes and zoom meetings are just one click away.
2. Investing in yourself
We’ve all heard it before, the best investment you can make is the investment in yourself. And what better way to regain your motivation and redirect your focus in this time of isolation than to invest into your future.
As you wake up everyday to work remotely or to study online, putting yourself in the mindset of preparing for your day as if you were to travel will help to increase your productivity throughout the day.
Dress for your day as you normally would while choosing the most productive workplace in your home. If there is a list of goals you’ve created in the past, this is the perfect time to make the time to achieve them.
Whether you fully immerse your time into each one or divide your time to work on one in increments, do your best to do each as small steps result in even.
While the pressure to be productive may overwhelm you at times, the importance of taking breaks and resting when it’s needed is a crucial aspect to your routine of productivity. The main focus is on the progress you make, tackle the day and move forward to tomorrow.
3. Money management
Gone are the days of spending money aimlessly and defining that as being successful. To have money is to build upon it. As everyone’s incomes, spending abilities and habits vary, keeping track of what you spend your money on and using your money wisely are priorities to implement into your daily routine.
An impactful approach to use, especially during these times of financial strife is the art of budgeting. Now that we’ve established time management, we can turn our focus to our spending habits.
Whether you prefer a digital tracker or physical journal, observing our money coming in and going out on a monthly basis can help us decide and diligently plan on what needs to be reworked and utilized.
Categorize your income- money coming in, and everything you spend your money on- money going out. Make an essential and non-essential list and prioritize what you need money for and what can be used for your future financial freedom.
Use this month to look back at last year’s and even last month’s insights to help you decide where you want to choose to make the investment in your future. It’s time to rethink how we spend, view and manage money.
To cooperatively build for our futures is exactly the kind of collaboration rooted in the Cooperative Age. With the exchange of assistance through family, friends and professionals, we can all help each other to stay motivated, focused and thriving in the midst of our changing world.
