For most of us, we’ve experienced over two years of some version of lockdown. It has been a period of trauma and uncertainty. Even with the vaccine rollouts, there will be months, if not years of recalibration ahead of us.
Early on during Quarantine Life, I sent out a message in response to a “hustle porn” tweet that essentially said if you don’t emerge from lockdown without having mastered a second language, launching your next company etc., you were a slacker. Perspectives like that are hooey, and counter productive.
Hustle shaming is toxic.
In my opinion, people are still ambitious; they’ve just adjusted the scope of their definition of success. Making it through the day in some cases is absolutely a win. There is something to be said for celebrating maintaining.
Being able to honor yourself, keep some semblance of mental equilibrium and calm is noteworthy during a time of great upheaval. I was interviewed by a producer in Los Angeles about this epic shift we’re collectively experiencing, and I said that we are in a rebuilding year—we’ve been given an opportunity to go dormant in order to consider where we want to go; who we want to be and what our future will look like (both individually and as a global society).
Potential energy and kinetic energy are different forms of the same force: creation. When the seed is breaking down under the soil, energy is being transferred and transformed. It takes time and effort for the sprout to break through the soil. We’re experiencing that transformation right now.
Breathe. Rest. Focus. You’re not a slacker; you’re transforming.
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