Life after Covid-19: What are your priorities?

I’ve been having lots of interesting conversations with friends, family and clients about what life will look like after Covid-19. From these chats, it is clear to me that things actually will not go back to ‘normal’. I believe that we will look back at this chapter in our lives and in some ways be grateful for the lessons we learned.
 
I fully appreciate that this will be really difficult (nigh on impossible) for anyone who has lost a loved one to this awful virus. I fully appreciate that many people are struggling right now with illness and mental health problems. I am not underestimating for a second the direct and immediate impact that many people are waking up to every day.

But we are a resilient bunch. And we will get over this. There will be scars for sure that we will carry with us for the rest of our lives. But prevail, we will. And when we do, what might be the positive effects that we can bring with us to shape us and help us lead the life that we want?

1. Appreciate the small things

This is pretty much said in almost every conversation right now. We are all missing the things that we enjoyed doing on a daily or weekly basis. The game of golf, the pint in the pub, the 5-aside soccer game, going to the gym – whatever it is that you enjoyed doing. For the kids, it’s mainly meeting up with their friends and, if they are into sport like the Widger kids, they cannot wait to get back out on the pitch again.

Interestingly, these aren’t material things. They’re experiences that we enjoy in the company of others. I had a text yesterday from a good friend who I haven’t seen in a while. He said that we had to get together soon for a catch up, as soon as things returned to normal. We both know that this will happen and we will both prioritise that as soon as we can. While we are all guilty of promising to meet up ‘at some stage’, I think this time is different and we will in fact make time to make this happen.

I’m guilty (sorry Mum, Dad, Sarah, Kate & Jenny) of not being in touch with my immediate family as much as I should. I’ve been in close contact with my Mum and Dad and my sisters over the last few weeks. We’ve had WhatsApp calls and some great family quiz nights on Zoom where we all get involved along with the kids in each house. There have been some controversial quiz moments like “How many counties has China?” that we have had a great laugh about. We’ll all remember this and the memories will be happy.

Wow! We’ve turned into a nation of walkers, joggers, cyclists and everything else active. I don’t think that everyone is doing this all of sudden to become Olympians in the future. I think everyone has come to the conclusion that activity helps keep you stay fit and sane. Imagine the positive impacts on the physical and mental health of our country if we keep this up. The energy that is being created is so great that I have high hopes that this will become part of our culture.

We always challenge our clients at Metis Ireland to tell us about their goals, dreams and aspirations. Sometimes it’s a big challenge and we have to use our experience to coax these out of our clients. I don’t think this will be such a problem going forward. I think March & April 2020 have brought into sharp focus what is important to everyone. And the big spends might drop down the list. I believe experiences with loved ones will be high on the agenda. It certainly is my priority now and I will remind myself of that when things return to ‘normal’.

 
I haven’t a political bone in my body. And my take is that right now, the real leaders have to come to the fore. And the ‘fakes’ are being found out. But real leaders are emerging in every walk of life. Real people who we all know are stepping up and being counted. Not for the plaudits. But for the good of their fellow citizens. All of the roles deemed essential by our government are showing very real leadership. I read somewhere that real leaders create more leaders. We are witnessing this. It’s a source of great pride for me. I see it in my family. I see it amongst my friends. I see it with my team mates at Metis Ireland. I see it with our clients.

I have tried my best to be positive in everything I am doing right now. Have you noticed how everyone else is doing the same? Well, almost everyone else. There have been times I haven’t felt very positive and I have worried about what might happen. But then I see someone showing leadership and that makes me want to get on the track of positivity again. This matters. It matters now and it will matter in the future. Moods are contagious. Be the one to spread your good mood.

I hope you are feeling optimistic today. I hope that you are spreading positive vibes and having a positive effect on those around you. Everyone has a role to play. We will get through this and I believe life will change for the better. Live the life you want to live. Now you know what that life really looks like, use this time to prepare for it.

I use three words a lot at Metis Ireland. They have become my personal mission statement over the last few weeks.
Decide …………………… what your best life looks like.
Commit ………………… to living that best life
Discipline ……………… your thoughts towards positive vibes only.

Carl Widger
Managing Director