September is usually the time children around the world go back to school. It is also the time that those of us living where colder climes come around are bracing for that.
But when fall comes, kicking summer out on its treacherous ass as it always does one day sometime after the midpoint of September, it stays awhile like an old friend that you have missed. It settles in the way an old friend will settle into your favorite chair and take out his pipe and light it and then fill the afternoon with stories of places he has been and things he has done since last he saw you.” ―
This September Is Different
Well, these times are different. Not in 102 years have we had a September of such uncertainty.
Yesterday’s post discussed the Spanish Flu of 1918 and how it impacted lives. Drew comparisons but more attention to the similarities of this COVID-19 pandemic.
As discussed in that post, everything has changed and never before in all our lives was it more time to decide. Take ownership of our lives. Determine what is mine and what is theirs.
COVID-19 has killed over 800,000 people now. It is surging again in many countries, communities and villages. Decision-time has arrived. This is truly a different September.
- In-class, online or combination?
- Back to work? Full-time or part-time?
- Work from home on my own business?
The list is much longer but the underlying issue – time to take ownership of what is yours and what is not.
Time’s Up: Examine Your Life
Had this conversation with a former work colleague yesterday. His children will not be going back to in-class sessions and his wife will not be going out to work. She will be a stay-at-home Mom, teaching the children with the help of online support from their school. He in the meanwhile is cautiously moving to set up his own business. Of course, he is aware that it will not come to fruition this year, but he is taking the necessary steps in that regard.
My colleague is not unlike so many others examing their lives, their options and how best to use the “fallout” from COVID-19 to create and finally own their own lives.
Although Plato is often credited for the words that have greatly affected my journey for over a decade now, they belong to Socrates. “An unexamined life is not worth living,” for me, is a profoundly important statement for anyone wishing to take full ownership of themselves.
So many of us blinded by the need for money, to live a certain standard of life, to maintain a certain status – too many have given up ownership of their lives. The job, money, family, friends, the church, even the neighbours are the ones who own you.
Ownership: It’s Your Life
“Freedom begins the moment you realize someone else has been writing your story and it’s time you took the pen from his hand and started writing it yourself.” ― Bill Moyers
You can only come to the realisation that you have handed over ownership of your life upon examination. There are those who have no time for self-reflecting. Sad. Why? As they say about history, you cannot understand why you are here if you do not know where you have been. This is not a case for dwelling in the past, as many fear. Rather, it is a matter of learning the lessons it holds and then getting the hell out of there!
No matter how evolved one might consider themselves to be, ownership is a daily repurchasing exercise. Some days or experiences will ask for a higher price. Other times your reinvestment will be a less but not necessarily easier.
The beginning of a new month is a good time to start examining your life and taking ownership of its direction in a post-pandemic time.
How Do You Wish To Come Out Of This Time?
Memes are so popular now, especially those trying to bring a smile to our faces over what a “horrid” the year 2020 has been so far.
A more serious meme, however, that I would suggest you pay attention to is the one that says you would have wasted quarantine time if you don’t come out of this pandemic experience:
- With a new skill
- With an upgrade in your educational level
- With at least an idea and plan for a startup or a side-gig
- With improved knowledge of “The Google Machine”
This Is Just The Start
Taking ownership of our life is not a one-day event. Daily in some way shape or form, you will be called upon to so do.
This is an old video but one still very much worth watching. As you watch, a question will come up. Answer that question and use the answer as a tool to help you take ownership of your life.
Who Does This Belong To?
Watch and answer the question. It might take you the week. Take as long as you need. Coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, whenever we do, come our better in some way, even a small way. Giving back what is not yours and taking ownership of what is yours is fundamental to living a conscious life.
Please watch and share your thoughts in the comments below or on any of our social media profiles – Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Let us now waste any more of this time of a pandemic. Let us take ownership and come out of it ready to build a new world.
Peace and Love,
