Five Lessons Learned From Quarantine

This too shall pass. Everyone’s life has been affected in some way, shape, or form over the past few weeks due to the virus. It seems as if it came out of nowhere and most of us had zero time to prepare. Unfortunately, most of us were not really prepared at all for this type of situation. We live our lives not planning for emergencies that may arise in the future. Then when something like this occurs, most people panic because they have no idea of what to do or how they will get through this. We do not know what tomorrow will bring or what other changes will be implemented. We do not know when this will be over or how soon we can return to our normal lives. There are a lot of unknows. But there are a few things we do know. We will get past this and something similar to this (being quarantined) will happen again. What’s sad is that less than three months when this is all over, people will forget about it. That is possibly the worst thing that you can do. This life changing event should change your life. It is a wake-up call. There are five things that we can all learn from this situation. 

• Value What’s Really Important: Right now, most people in the United States are currently under quarantine. We are getting the opportunity to spend a lot of extra time with our families. A lot of us are enjoying the time with our spouse and children. For others, it’s as if those people are strangers. How crazy is it that the people you are supposed to love the most have become complete strangers to you? Better yet, you can’t even stand to be around them for a long period of time. Everything else has become a priority in your life. We have put sports and entertainment ahead of our own homes. That needs to change. Home is the place that we should want to be the most. We all should spend this time reconnecting with our families and allowing that bond to grow. Things have been put in their proper place and it would be wise of us to keep it that way.

• Be Prepared: Most of us were caught off guard by this situation. It all happened so fast. People were (and still are) panic buying because they were in no way prepared for something like this to happen. There isn’t too much you can do now except learn and become better prepared for next time. Once we get through this, I would strongly encourage you to put a plan in place for the future. You can start by purchasing nonperishable items a little bit at a time so that you will have enough to last you at least a month. Something else I will suggest is to invest in a deep freezer. That way you can save large quantities of meat and vegetables for a very long period of time. Begin to purchase house hold items that you will need (ex: toilet paper) and begin to save some as well. For someone like me who loves to go to the gym, I should purchase fitness equipment so that I can continue to workout at home. You may be thinking that you are in a financial position where you can buy it as needed. But what happens when what you need is no longer available for you to purchase for a few weeks? What are you going to do? Again, use this time to develop a plan and to prepare for the next time that something like this happens.

• Multiple Streams of Income: If this has taught us anything, it’s that we all need multiple streams of income. What happens when you dig only one well and it suddenly runs dry? You no longer have water. A lot of people have been laid off or their job has temporarily shut down and have no other source of income at the moment. Bills still have to be paid. You will still need money to purchase the resources that you need to survive. Now would be a great opportunity to find and create other streams of income. My personal recommendation would be to find ways to create passive income in a completely different field that you are working in at the moment. That business you’ve been putting off, now is the time to get it in motion. Use it to get it done. Make it a priority to create an additional stream of income for you and your family so that you are better prepared for this next time.

• Don’t Panic:  The worst thing you can do right now during a time like this is to let fear take over and panic. You begin to make irrational decisions. Most of the fear is coming from what you’re reading on social media. There are a lot of misinformed people posting any and every article they see. Do not spend your idle time on social media during this time. I would recommend that you listen to a few credible sources and pay attention to what the government is saying at every level so that you do not break the law and incur a fine. Have conversations with people who you know to be rational thinkers and allow them to help guide you through times like this. Fear and panic will have you doing irrational things such as spending hundreds of dollars on toilet paper. Panicking will cause you to become worried and stressed over every little thing. Fear is the enemy of what you need during this time, faith. And that leads me to my fifth and most important point.

• Get Closer to God: I saved the best and most important point for last. As a Christian, I lean upon my faith daily. But in times like this, it reminds me that in order for me to make it through this I need to rely on God more. If I keep Him first, I know that I can accomplish all of the things I have listed. It is in times like this that I really check myself and make the adjustments in my relationship. Am I reading the Bible like I should? Am I praying like I should? Whatever I’m not doing needs to be changed ASAP! With God, there is hope in a hopeless situation. There is peace. God has given us a sound mind that we should be using during all of this. You have the choice to put your faith in whoever or whatever you want. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!

The seeds that you are planting now will produce fruit later. If you choose to waste this time doing nothing, then do not be surprised when you nothing comes from it. But if you take the time to invest this time into the things that matter, then that is what will come forth. Right now, these times are challenging. You can and you will get through this. Now once you come out, make sure that you do not get caught off guard again. You cannot change the past or what happened. But now that you are in it, make it work for your favor. Make every day count. I know you can do it.