Quarantine: The Uncertainty is Scary

Good morning people, you know, it’s a very strange time to be living at the moment.  You’ve got people walking around like zombies with face masks on and everyone is scared s***less of each other.  Sneeze and the people around you look at you like you just killed their pet rabbit.   I mean, we’ve even got people fighting over toilet paper for f*** sake.  

Thanks for watching! The 4-Hour Work Week by Tim Ferris- https://amzn.to/2Jh7trL Great book. You can order the book and read it directly on your phone. All y...

The problem is, people like to feel certain about things.  We like to be able to control as much of our life as we possibly can.  From the time we wake up, to how we look, to our careers and the direction that we take our lives in.  But sometimes, the world decides to take certainty, and smash it out of the court- earning itself a code violation in the process.  And it’s these uncertain times, that s*** can be a bit scary.  I mean toilet roll? Really?

Jobs are being lost, the stock market is falling to pieces, travel plans are being cancelled and entire countries are going into lockdown.  Even for someone who considers themselves a fairly laid-back character, I’m getting a little anxious about the consequences that this is going to have on our immediate future. 

This situation begs the question, how can we avoid losing our minds with worry? How do we avoid getting to the point where we’re about to bare-knuckle fight 65-year-old Judy for the last roll of toilet paper?

Be proactive.  This is the first habit in Stephen Covey’s book, “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.”   He explains that there is a gap between stimulus and response.  Meaning that whatever external event happens, we have the choice of how we respond, before we actually do respond.  It’s in this gap that we choose the meaning of the event and the action we take moving forwards.

What Stephen means by “be proactive”, is using this gap between stimulus and response wisely.  He said “We have a natural need to wield influence on the world around us, so we must not spend our time just reacting to external events and circumstances. We must take charge and assume responsibility for our lives.”

So clearly the stimulus in this case is the unfortunate chain of events that the coronavirus is creating.  Tournaments cancelled, Jobs lost, money down the drain, can’t leave the house.  And the usual reactive response is “worry, panic, people losing their minds, sitting at home watching the news for 10 hours a day, focusing on all the things we can’t do, the places we can’t go and the money that we can’t earn.” 

But what we need to do in these unprecedented times, is to be proactive and use this “gap” wisely.  We need to give the unfolding events an empowering meaning so that we can take positive action and avoid worrying and fighting grandmas.   

If we are proactive and use this gap wisely, we can begin to focus on all the things that we can do.  The opportunities that this time can provide us.  

For me, it’s given me more time with my girlfriend.  I’m also going to have more time to do things that I normally wouldn’t have the time for when life is normal.  

I made a Can-do list as one of the “Lockdown” activities that SotoTennis Academy is running right now:

·      I can work-out each day, even if I’m confined to a small space.  

·      I can use the time to practice “mindfulness” more often by using the “headspace app”

·      I can work on my side-hustle projects online (this video is one of them)

·      I can use the time to really clarify the vision for my tennis

·      I can improve my flexibility

·      I can use the extra time to learn a new skill at home.  

·      I can devour a few self-improvement books.  

I have made a guide to mental toughness which you can download here.

A book that I read recently that I really recommend, especially given the circumstances, is ‘The 4-hour Workweek’ by Tim Ferris.  This book sets straight the myth about actual income and teaches you about the value of one of our most precious commodities; time. 

It gets you thinking outside the box, in new creative ways and he takes you step by step how to take ideas and make them a reality.  Ultimately creating a secondary income with very little time.  

I’d say it is the perfect book to get stuck into given the impending coronavirus doom.  Maybe by the time the coronavirus passes, you’ll already have a 6-figure side hustle sorted and be able to quit your current miserable job.  

I’ll leave the link here, it’s a f****** awesome book.  

Anyway, back to the key message of the video.  Don’t let the external events that are happening around us determine our  response.  Use the gap wisely and focus on the things that you can do and the opportunities that the time will provide. 

And Don’t be the dick who clears out all the canned food and toilet paper. 

Thanks for watching, stay calm, stay safe, wash your hands and sign up for those 2 free months on Skillshare using the link below. 

Peace.