A little over three years ago the world came to a grinding halt.
Most of us were forced into sudden and extreme inaction.
Our todo lists became irrelevant.
Meetings didn’t need to happen.
Projects were postponed or cancelled.
Life seemed to stop.
This time was certainly one of crisis based on a very real threat, and my intention is not to minimize the loss of any individual life.
But the early pandemic also provided us with a collective chance to reset.
We were given space to evaluate our lives, for better or worse, and come to terms with what was actually important.
We all had a chance to breathe.
Three years on, the todo lists, meetings, projects and other obligations have all stacked up again.
Life is busy — really fucking busy.
Still, I feel a shift has carried over in how I manage it all pre and post pandemic.
I’ve realized that most of what we deem valuable doesn’t matter.
Goal chasing and doing hard things are essential but shouldn’t define you.
Most importantly, we need to prioritize creating more joy and happiness in and around our lives.
As survivors of the pandemic we will always carry a certain degree of trauma with us.
But we also know the answer to a very important question:
“What would happen if I just stopped to take a break from it all?”
The pandemic has given us a new perspective on the value of sabbaticals, and I plan to intentionally embrace them from here on out.