My Post Pandemic Rant

It’s time to manifest those dreams reality.

Over the last year, many people put their life on hold. They dared not make plans for they felt the future was too uncertain. I get it. But I didn’t let it stop me from learning, growing and discovering new things.

I’m grateful.

Looking back on the past 12 months, I actually look at it with a grateful heart. The quarantine afforded me time to grieve the death of my daughter on my own terms, home with my hubby, without having to make excuses of why I really didn’t want to fully engage in socializing or travel.

I had the opportunity to challenge myself as I reinvented my business. I learned to adapt to what became a new reality within the retail industry and how that changed everything about business.

The quarantine also gave me more time to relax, explore new hobbies and dive into new discoveries. Did you know you can learn anything for free on you tube? Some of those new interests stuck. Others I explored, then lovingly acknowledge were not my thing and graciously let them go. (Making homemade croissants is not my superpower… not even close!)

I even got be a couch tourist by watching a ton of travel documentaries in place of actually getting on a plane and going there. I was amazed at how much I learned and discovered. Some of the places are now on my bucket list. Others that I once had on my list, now have a line drawn through them and have been replaced by new ones.

I was thrilled.

It was with wonder and awe that I watched my kids and grandkids adapt as well. The tremendous growth I saw in them was inspiring. It seems that there is nothing like adversity to push one into a growth cycle! It wasn’t easy but they all learned to adjust their sails to accommodate the everchanging wind… a life skill that will take them all far in life.

Life opens up.

Now, as life cautiously opens back up, I look forward to opening back up too. Even though the future of the pandemic still holds questions, I’m thinking of new ways to reach back out into the world beyond the walls of my home. Now is the time to reinvent how we do just that.

I’ve got plans. Do you?

It’s time to turn those dreams of adventure into plans. Already, I have a trip planned with a girlfriend to hike the Appalachian trail and even camp! This is something way outside of my comfort zone right now. (As many of you know I have chronic Lyme disease from three tick bites I got in the woods 7 years ago.) I am making plans to hit a few destinations on my bucket list in the coming three years and use some of the new language skills I learned while quarantined.

No doubt my plans will change.

Adaptation and change are a given, but dreams do not have a chance if we don’t make plans. And plans don’t come to fruition unless we act. And actions require a forward motion. Adventure, fun, learning, growing, and discovery are goals worthy of plans and actions.

Manifest it.

My friend shared a quote with me that I love. I tried to find its source but here it is to the best of my memory. “Declare clearly, specifically and positively your desired outcome. Then with integrity of aligned actions, begin to achieve it.”

This quote applies to so many areas of my life. From educational, travel, family, finances, business and beyond. I believe this with all my heart. I call it manifesting. Here are my steps.

  1. Decide, realistically, what you want.
  2. Declare your intentions. Verbally announce and let it be known!
  3. Do your research and write down your plans
  4. Make it happen. Let every choice you make be consistent with making your plan become reality.

Don’t sit around waiting for things to happen. Make them happen. Start now.