Keep Looking Up!

Pandemic gave many of us unexpected opportunities to become better people.

Summer Lotus 26th May 2021 3 min read

When you are unhappy about events caused by the pandemic, don’t panic and don’t gripe. Do something positive with your life every day. Things will pan out accordingly and may be out of our control but at least we could alleviate them.

We need to be more productive and proactive when dealing with events in our lives. The pandemic has resulted in much distress and despair as we go about our lives overcoming unexpected obstacles at work and at home.

It is all a matter of perspective. When something is halted, we go around it. We attempt solutions we never tried before and find that it works. We start on new hobbies and discover our strengths. We have more moments of contemplation that allow ideas to blossom.

Years of the good life and innovations have released the brakes on living to the fullest. We have been chasing stuff without realizing that we do not need some of them. We gave in to feelings rather than practicality. We reacted rather than responded. The pandemic has quieted us down.

All because we failed to slow down and think. What do we want? What is a better option? How to live more effectively?

It takes a pandemic to make me realize the following;

1 If you want to achieve something, do it! Nike’s slogan ‘Just do it!’ has never been more relevant in these times. I am glad that I have done much traveling over the years. Those who have put off travel may currently feel trepidation with the anxieties and strained human relations that seem prevalent in many countries.

Where traveling is concerned, many turn to their own countries and got to know theirs better. I have never known my country, Singapore as much as now. She has indeed morphed over the years in her culture, people, food, and philosophy. In my own backyard, so to speak, I have become immensely enriched by exploring my Singapore in the past year.

So, do something instead of griping. Life is so full of surprises and absolutely enthralling. Explore, enroll and excel! If we have something we want to learn, to understand better, do it now. Much time is on our hands. Of course with safety measures in place.

2 That you need to become a more resourceful person. One skill is not enough, multiple skills are necessary, and try to be good in at least a few. They may seem unconnected but they do help each other.

During the pandemic, I learned about e-commerce and attended workshops to improve my creativity such as photoshop and photography as well as writing and reading. They may seem unrelated to me as a dentist and do not make me any money.

However, in the process, I discovered that I could write something( at least it was a start). I have created a clinical website for my dental practice as well as an e-commerce site where I learned about its function and that gave me an opportunity to create products for the market. It may be my passive income. My dabbling at some workshops also enables me to produce new and relevant images that have helped greatly for my postings. My brain has never felt better.

3 With time on my hands and everyone cocooned at home at some point during the lockdown, I discover personal peace through walks, yoga, and rest.

The time for contemplation is paramount. Most of us run after our goals each day and miss the fun of the journey. We realized that we needed to live more effectively and considerately without affecting our loved ones, our neighbors, and society in general.

Living in harmony with others, taking time to relate to each other, feeling happy because we achieve good health and not just wealth, and not forgetting that humor is a balm for daily stresses. This pandemic is a wake-up call.

The world will become a better place as we humans are intelligent. We will come up with amazing solutions once we know where we go wrong. The world will get better. It always does after a crisis and we have seen many crises that came and gone.

Keep looking up!