Has living through COVID-19 made you step back and rethink priorities? Your future? What is important?
I love to travel. I save my vacation time and money so that each year I have two weeks off in a row. My vacations have been Italy, Ireland, Spain and France to name a few. Needless to say not cheap with airfare (where I live nothing is direct), accommodations, food and of course spending money. As an aside planning for me is also half the fun – getting together and making a list of things to see and do (again $$).
So COVID-19 hits and no one is going anywhere. We are now into the second year and frankly I won’t be on a plane this year. So two years without travel. I should be saving and saving for my trip when this is finally over. Plus I had months of not getting out in lockdown so cash in the bank there.
What happened? Yes, I have still been saving as that is something I do even with travel. But I haven’t saved and saved for my blow out trip after pandemic. Why? I realized I still love travel and there are places I want to see (hopefully) when this is over. BUT I want to live now. I didn’t want COVID-19 to stop my life – to put it on hold until I could travel again. To write 1-2 years of my life off – to just “get through this”. Life is precious we don’t know how long we have. I have given up enough to COVID-19 I am not letting it dictate everything.
When I made the decision to live my best life now, during COVID-19, it changed my head space. Yes, to saving for the future as that was a given. I looked at what I could do during COVID-19 and realized I now had opportunities I wouldn’t have or taken if COVID-19 hadn’t happened. I know that sounds weird but it is true.
The first summer I took on a creative coach. I would NOT have done that if COVID-19 hadn’t happened. Why? That money would have gone to airfare. We also rented a cottage for a week. Again something I had never done before as my vacations were always booked to leave the country. It was lovely – totally relaxing and I felt good supporting people in my area. We’re going again this year – different place about three hour drive from home! Excited.
I decided I wanted to support local artisans so purchased some artisans boxes. Again not something I would have done before COVID-19 as money was always ear-marked for other things. Through this I have pieces now in my home to enjoy and wear.
COVID-19 has me stepping back and reviewing my priorities. Where I want to spend my time, money and energy. Yes to travelling in the future and I am and will save for that, but not at the expense of living now. Of stepping out of what I thought was my priority (vacations away) and living my best life at this time with what I can do. I will not let COVID-19 take that away. Readjust, look at what I can do, celebrate my wins, try new things – be flexible.
This awful time has given me space to rethink and be more flexible in what I want to do and experience. WOW a creative coach! A cottage on the water! Grabbing my wins and also making things happen during a difficult time (to say the least).
Has living through a pandemic changed your priorities? How you plan? Save? What you want in life? I would love to know your thoughts. Drop a line.
Setting Our Intentions 