Get From Where You Are To Where You Want To Be — No Excuses

William Shakespeare rightly said, “It’s not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves”. COVID-19 has turned our lives upside down. The pandemic has shaken the entire world. Different research methods have been applied to control the spread of this lethal virus, but no respite yet.

Moreover, various objectives have been promulgated by diverse governments worldwide to make sure their people get all the necessary items to stay healthy and active. But, the darker side seems to have permeated every section of society.

Most of us have either been laid off or have witnessed unbearable salary cuts. Millions have lost their jobs across the globe. Thousands and thousands have lost their lives to COVID-19 along with their near and dear ones.

How will we take charge again amid all this? How will you, as an individual, hold yourself together to make the most of you already have?

Keep such worries aside. Crisis situation often proffers the best setting to unleash your potential. You’re not here to worry about your future all the time. You might agree with me. As a reader, as a professional and as a person who wants to grow, you keep looking for answers related to your career and your personal life. This exercise is good, however, it’s very important you draw a fine line whenever you read or watch anything online or elsewhere. Some articles only talk about the brighter side and some only focus on how and why everything is going wrong in our world. These articles either fill us up with alacrity or anxiety.

You can do a lot to get from where you are to where you want to be.

Here’s my story for your reference. I took time before joining a new company. My days were not bright. My nights were even worse. I had sleepless nights for almost two months (Seeing your own colleagues losing their jobs can further aggravate the situation). Amidst all this, however, something changed inside me. With every passing day, I was getting better and this fact I finally acknowledged while writing this article. Thanks to my family and friends who stood right next to me whenever I was stumbling.

I was dull during one of those days. Then, something happened. Something weird. I stood up, opened my diary and made a to-do list. A list of high priority tasks and errands. As I am a passionate writer, I said to myself, “You need to write, EVERY SINGLE DAY". And so,

• I wrote poems
• Created a blog
• Made sure I am applying for a job every single day
• Read useful articles online
• Ate healthy food
• Did a few relevant online courses
• Started recording songs
• Listened to good music
• Followed news almost daily
• Kept connecting with my close friends who made sure I am focused
• Read a few books
• Created quotes
• Created a few designs
• Created and published short videos covering some of my well-written poems
• Wrote some blog articles and published online
• Cooked delicious food with my most favourite person
• Watched a few good movies and some series too like Avatar — The Last Airbender
• Embraced nature, especially Moon and the star-studded sky

I was not too sure about myself when I was doing all these things. Self-doubt sort of never left me alone. I, who was earning well before this crisis situation, wasn’t able to cope with this uninvited halt. I was fortunate enough though, because my family and friends came to my rescue, every single day.

I tried concentrating on things that matter to me. There were times when I felt low. There were times when I felt I am not enough. I felt low several times during those days when I was desperately looking for a new opportunity. Anxieties and problems never seek our permission. They simply invade our territory and knock us down.

But, as they say, everything is possible, as they say, change is inevitable, all that is true. Very true, in fact. When we invest time in ourselves, when we invest time in something we truly admire or love doing, we eventually become more confident, more strong. Your field or domain could be different but the way we channelize or streamline our energies, our motives, that is mostly similar.

Hence, you can,

1. take help from the websites like Udemy and Coursera if you want to do an online course in accordance with your field. These two websites have a wide variety of courses for working, non-working aspirants as well as students.
2. Create an awesome CV or Resume with the help of resumemaker website or GitHub. Make sure your CV is legible, not lengthy.
3. Showcase your work online through platforms like Twitter, LinkedIn and through your own blog too. To create a blog, there are fascinating options like Wordpress and Wix.
4. Read a plethora of books. You can borrow, buy, ping your friends. Do not hesitate. Ask for help and someone will certainly be happy to help you. Try asking a stranger once respectfully. You might experience something extraordinary.
5. You can even join a few interesting groups available online. These groups usually work around acquiring new knowledge. You can easily decipher. Just make sure you know their purpose well.
6. Keep your mind clutter-free and keep yourself fit. Follow some of your favourite quotes. Those motivational quotes can do wonders. Do not underestimate them.

Just remember, if you’re struggling, if you are not feeling motivated enough, if you’re thinking your days are getting worse, accept these problems first. Once you accept these problems then calmly, fix a goal. Channelize your thoughts the way you want your days to be. Start executing well and after a few days, you will notice that change which you were badly missing all this while.

This whole process takes time so being patient is the best way to achieve your goals on a daily basis. Start with small goals first then head towards big ones.

We all face difficulties and crisis situations. Life is all about such ups and downs. You can have a fresh start any day, anytime.

But, you need to leave your comfort zone if you are still cocooned in it.

As Brian Tracy said, “There are no limits to what you can accomplish, except the limits you place on your own thinking.”