On Seizing Opportunity & Individual Sustainability
I’m grateful I found my quarantine groove early on and have been living solidly the last month, but last week sucked.
A few personal setbacks, some emotional waves, and then awful news that a college friend died suddenly (not from COVID-19).
It felt like deja vu… I JUST had these exact thoughts about someone close in age dying unexpectedly, young kids left behind, heartbreak for a partner who has to conjure the strength to do a job solo that was meant for at least two, if not a village.
That someone was Kobe. When he died in January, I wrote this piece as a reminder, mainly to myself, that the sparks ignited by the major events of our lives don’t last forever. They actually disappear very quickly.
Those major life events, especially ones that shock us like death and pandemics, often serve as reminders to reflect, introspect, and reevaluate. Sometimes we’ll even seize those moments and make some changes.
Whether those changes stick depend on whether we put in the work day in and day out after the fact. And often life can “get in the way.”
But what’s our excuse when life is on pause?
COVID is a tragedy. A crisis. A life changing experience. A lesson in kindness, community, healthcare, government, economics, poverty, social welfare, etc.
But the best thing it is?
An opportunity.
It’s an opportunity to build our resilience muscles that help us roll with future waves whether they're a baby ripple or a tsunami.
It’s an opportunity to address those physical and mental health adjustments we said we'd make once work calmed down.
It’s an opportunity to mend or tend to that important relationship that we've avoided or neglected.
It’s an opportunity to work on that business idea we’ve been thinking about forever, but not putting the hours into.
It’s an opportunity to figure out what a fulfilling career looks like and how we can move towards it.
It’s an opportunity to figure out what actually matters and how to start prioritizing those things.
For those of us fortunate enough to have downtime right now, we have more peace and quiet to think and process than we ever had in our normal lives. If you have kids or other demands on your time, you might have to work harder to carve out the space, but changes are only made by those who commit to making it happen.
A phrase I’ve been using for a while now is Individual Sustainability. I don’t know if it’s been used elsewhere, but I said it one day and found it perfectly summarized what I hope for every human.
Individual Sustainability is our ability to sustain our life and needs at a steady pace for the unique marathon we’re each running. In the long run, not exercising isn't sustainable. Ignoring those uncomfortable feelings we don't want to feel; not sustainable. Staying in that job we dread getting out of bed for; not sustainable.
It’s made up of the ingredients, practices, and mindsets that we each determine will help us live the life we want. The specific details of those ingredients, practices, and mindsets will vary for each of us as our lives and needs are different, but there are some universal themes. Health. Home. Money. Connection. Meaning. Happiness. Etc.
I’ll write more about that next week, but for now, I’d ask you to consider…
What do you need for your Individual Sustainability? Right now and in the future.
I’d love to know what yours are. Hit reply if you're willing to share.
🙏🙏,
Pam
