Make the most of Covid Lockdown Time

Make the most of Covid Lockdown Time

What’s your Plan A?

How is the current Covid lockdown affecting your dreams?  Perhaps you’ve been thrown off course, or the rug beneath your university, gap year or even internship/first job plans have been pulled.  Is this you:

“Students like me have been left in a lonely limbo”- The Times

Perhaps what used to excite you about your future doesn’t anymore. Everyone encounters disappointment and failure at times – the most important thing is how we react to it.  Did you know Bill Gates’s first big project collapsed; Walt Disney was told he lacked creativity.  And Steve Jobs was sacked from his company.

Adversity is often when great opportunities arise.  As Stephen Covey, author of  ‘The Seven Habits of Highly Successful People’  said ‘We develop our character muscles by overcoming challenges and obstacles.’  How could you make the most of this ‘extra’ time?  What would you enjoy learning?  What skills would be useful for you to develop so you can stand out in a crowded and competitive jobs market when life gets back to whatever the new normal will be.  What have you always wanted to do but never had time for?  How could you help someone else?

Thinking ahead, what sort of life do you dream of.  Consider the following five steps to help you gain clarity about your direction and your what next.

1. Consider and describe your preferred work environment and culture. What might be the opportunities; what might be the constraints?  Who are the people you’d want to be spending your time with?

2. What would be your ideal work style (eg formal or informal) – how would you behave? 

3. What would you like to be doing? (eg sitting a desk all day – or going out?) How would you like to use the skills you have?  What skills do you have that you might not be able to use – how will you make sure you don’t lose them? 

4. What are your values – what’s really important to you. What sort of organisations and people fit with your values.

5. One precious life – what do you really want to do? When you look back at the year ahead, what will you have done, how pleased will you be that you followed your dreams. 

In this day and age, I find it shocking that many people still settle for anything less than their best life. It has never been easier to do practically anything you want…but often that variety makes choice and decision even harder. Even if you have an end goal in mind, it’s difficult to know where to begin…

The best way to improve your car is to talk to a mechanic. The best way to get a great body is to talk to a fitness coach. The best way to identify that perfect life, and clearly define the most effective steps to take towards it, is to talk to a professional.

Our youth coaches at FORWARD want to hear about the best life you can think of, and to work with you to put the steps in place so it is crystal clear how to get there. Everyone is more successful when part of a team – and we’re on yours.