Before we talk about the future and what all it holds for you, I want you to take a deep breath. You are here right now, that is all that matters.
I think the majority of people shudder when they think back to New Year’s Eve of 2019. Our reckless optimism for the year to come is almost sad at this point. As we head into October of 2020, our sleep schedules, relationships, and career paths have shifted from where they were just six months ago, and that has been a difficult pill to swallow for many of us.
We have been taught our whole lives to work hard, get good grades, and to find the best jobs. All of those things are great to an extent. It pushes us to have goals, and accomplish things we didn’t think were possible. But when everybody was told to stop and slow down, we panicked. We have been conditioned to believe that if we take things slow, we won’t achieve our goals. If we rest, someone will race past us and we will fall behind. So, even in a global pandemic when all we can do is try our best to adapt, we are left feeling like we’re not doing enough.
Some people appear to be adapting well to these changes. They’re getting more things done than they ever have, and they have discovered new passions they want to pursue. Then there are people like me who see those that are making the most out of this extra time and feel overwhelmed with inferiority. But it helps me to put emphasis on the word “appear”. Those people appear to be adapting well. Pandemic aside, everyone struggles with their purpose in life, and making the most of their time, but no one likes to admit it. We all assume the people around us are perfect humans while we are flawed. In reality, we’re simply just doing what we need to get by, and that looks completely different for everybody.
So, before you click away, I want you to take one more deep breath, and repeat after me: I am trying my best, and that is enough. Repeat it as many times as you like. I promise you will not fall behind.