2020 has been a slap in the face. Covid-19 has gotten our attention worldwide, and as we contemplate a “New Normal,” we get a say individually and collectively into what that looks like.
A popular Dave Hollis quote has been making its rounds across Global social platforms:
What “Normal” is actually worth rushing back to? As I said in my most recent post, The Next Right Thing, “The truth is that much in our world is broken and has been for sometime. When we rebuild, what can we create? How can we create better systems that support all of us and our world?”
This is a Perfect Time to Create Something New
Does anyone else remember the game Sim City? It’s a game that allows you to create an entire city from scratch. Covid-19 is giving us an opportunity for a fresh start. The truth is that most of us have needed to Marie Kondo some aspect of our lives for some time, and we’ve ignored it — hidden behind our cloak of “too busyness.”
Questions for My New Normal
I have been taking a hard look at every area of my life, and I’ll be the first to admit, there are some ways of being and doing things that no longer work and haven’t for a while.
Here are some of the questions I’ve been asking myself that are helping me get clear on my “New Normal.”
Note* it requires absolute honesty with yourself. This beautiful song, Honest, by Emeli Sandé brought tears to my eyes, especially her lyrics, “Stop acting as if tomorrow’s promised, stop acting as if you can’t be honest with yourself.”
Individually
- What is really worth rushing back to?
- Who do I actually want to spend my time with?
- What is no longer working in my career, life, relationships?
- What is the one thing I really have not wanted to look at?
- Do I actually need to eat out as much as I do?
- How can I be a better partner, family member, friend?
- How can I help?
- What do I need to let go of in order to move forward?
- What is a blessing in my life that I wasn’t able to see before this time?
- Who do I need to be in order to be the change I wish to see in the world?
- What does my heart most want now?
Collectively
- What systems are no longer serving us?
- What do we as a global society need to let go of (even if it’s hard in the short term)?
- Does all our busyness actually help us?
- What aspects of our society could do with a revamp?
- How can we take the lessons we’ve seen, i.e. dolphins returning to Venice, to create a better planet?
- What has been a gift in all this?
- Who do we need to appreciate and value more in our society? How can we do that?
- If we were given a fresh start, how could we build a society that honored everyone?
My hope is that one of you reading this gets an amazing idea for a new way of being, a new invention, or perhaps even more importantly, a simple meaningful interaction with someone in your community that benefits everyone.