Our lives have changed profoundly in the last 6 months. Freedoms that we used to enjoy have turned into a luxury. I sometimes (only sometimes) miss commuting to the office. We have learned life can turn at a moment’s notice. Here are what I consider 5 Powerful Lessons that Coronavirus crisis taught us.
1. Life is fragile
Human civilisation is fragile. One virus can completely destroy us. The morbidity rate for COVID-19 is around 2%. What if a virus comes along with a much higher kill rate? 2% destroyed many businesses and individuals. I shudder to imagine what if something more powerful came along? The human race needs to invest in healthcare and multi-palnetary life. More power to Elon!
We will, hopefully, be back to normal in a few months. However, it is important to acknowledge that life is fragile. Identify and focus on the important stuff.
2. Be grateful for the freedoms we enjoy
Visiting malls, enjoying the sun in a park, eating at a restaurant or heck, even going to office was a freedom we did not realise that we had. Now I see them in a new light, The freedom that almost all of us took for granted weren’t actually so and they can be taken away anytime. Let us take a moment and acknowledge all the freedom and privileges that we have in our life.
Technology has made the distance between family a bit less. However, travel restrictions have not been easy to deal with. Be grateful if you have your family around. Realising the importance of such privileges rewires our minds. We feel more happy. Practise gratitude.
3.Murphy can strike anytime. Have an emergency fund
This is a personal finance and productivity blog. If you are reading this, you probably have an emergency fund. However, the importance of having an emergency fund has never been this obvious to most of us. If you had a six-month emergency fund at the beginning of this crisis, you should have been able to face this pandemic with relative ease.
If not, start an emergency fund today. Aim to build a six month emergency fund at the least. This should cover all your monthly expenses for six months. Set aside a fixed percentage of your income every month towards the emergency fund. If you do not have any money set aside, start with 10% of your income. Make it automatic deduction from your account.
4. Your Health is a top priority
Well, this one is a no-brainer. Your health should always be your priority. However, the pandemic has made it much more apparent. If you take away one key insight from this blog, this is it. This is one of the most powerful lessons that Coronavirus crisis taught us.
Studies have shown that people with lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, heart condition and obesity are the most vulnerable to risk of death if they get COVID-19.
Take steps to fix your lifestyle.
- Avoid junk food. These empty calories have absolutely no place in a healthy lifestyle
- Avoid Sugar
- Exercise at least 3 times a week for 30 mins
- Walk – easiest form of exercise and also gives you time to think
- Sleep adequately – 7-8 hours
Being conscious of these steps will improve your health exponentially and strengthen your immune system. This will improve your chances to face such health threats in future and live longer.
5. Skills can take you through any pandemic
Develop income-generating skills. Assess what is selling in the market and learn those skills. Investing in skills is the best use of your time and money. A highly skilled person can weather through any storm and will always be in demand. Some skills that you can focus on are:
- Blogging, Website Design
- Video Editing
- Copywriting
- Photo editing
- Cold Email Marketing
Also, invest in your career. If you are in Analytics, constantly keep learning and better skilled at your job. This will increase your value to the company and your employer will hesitate to let you go.
Bonus: Don’t have Bat soup
Finally, we learned that we should not have f**cking bat soup.
What are some of the lessons that you have learned from this pandemic? Let me know in the comments.
