
My Learnings from the Pandemic
Today, I came across a piece of news – as mentioned in point #1 below. It got me thinking about how pandemic has affected – lives of so many of us – both for good and bad. Bad of course because of the loss of lives, but good because it got many of us to come out of our inhibitions and shell, to realize our true potential.
Covid is beginning to raise its head again. But for sure, we are all much more prepared now.
Sharing my top 5 observations and learnings from Covid:
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1. Go Big or Go Home:
This stood out for me. In life, our inherent skills, our passions need most attention and care. Be it coding or simply cooking. Sharing with you a post that went viral recently and caught my attention. A middle-aged woman ‘Patil- Kaki’ from a non-descript town in Maharashtra, rose to the occasion, when her husband lost his job due to pandemic. She transformed a small-scale home-based business into a multi crore venture. Read more here : https://www.thebetterindia.com/289363/anand-mahindra-praises-patil-kaki-maharashtrian-food-business-in-viral-tweet/
2. Uncertainty is way of life:
It began when the pandemic hit. From job security to life- everything seemed to be at stake. As days passed, my friends and family got gripped with COVID and the future seemed uncertain. When lockdown was announced in India, we were in the midst of important delivery of our project with OCR. And suddenly – everything stalled. All in all, as they say – Man proposes, God Disposes. Life has its own ways and can be extremely unpredictable.
3. Duty Above All:
I am sure each one of you knows at least one person who was a ‘front line worker.’ Hospital staff, Sanitization Workers, Police, Ambulance Drivers, Volunteers--all put their lives at risk against the deadly virus to save ours. I watched in amazement and respect, as a close friend of mine, who is a doctor, worked tirelessly for over 48 hours, without rest or sleep. Like him, we are indebted to thousands of unknown people who kept us going. This taught me --- that above all, duty comes first, choose service over comforts.
4. Save for a ‘Rainy Day’:
Our parents and grandparents, have been telling generations after generations to save money, to be wise, to be prepared for the ‘unknown’. This golden advice held true 100 years ago and still holds true. I realized, how little I really needed of material things to be happy, and how so much more I craved for support and understanding of my family, my friends and my coworkers when the going got tough. I made a #notetomyself to think twice every time I want to buy a new glitzy gadget, for sure!
5. Masks Save Lives:
The pandemic is not over yet. It’s a crisis, even the strongest economies will take years to recover from. I want to urge you to not become careless about your own safety and the safety of your friends and family. Wear a mask, wash your hands and follow all COVID protocols. Stay Safe, work hard and make each day count!
Signing off – with my favorite quote:
“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.” -- Charles Darwin