030. Milestone THREE

Life is what you make it. 

I have observed a growing sense of hopelessness and helplessness in society at large. Perhaps it is simply the media I have access to but, it feels nostalgic of the 2020 lockdown. Everything seems to carry an underlying message of 'you’ve got this' or, 'we're cooked'.  

The job market, AI, scarcity, wars, poverty, social media; everything, everywhere, all at once.

Somewhere, if not everywhere, people get up in the morning, then get ready for their days and get on with their lives completely unaffected by what many would consider to be reality. Though we may all agree on the colour of the sky, with the exception of those who suffer from colour blindness, reality is far from objective.

I recall speaking to my colleague about this notion – the belief cooked state of the world. I asked her how we can expect any change to come from the efforts we were making in our work when people did not believe the state of the world could be changed. To her, the idea was completely foreign. She was far from the belief that our reality was set in stone. I mean, how could she wake up in the morning and put the care and effort she does into the work she does if she carried this belief. 

Without believing in change, there will be no action that can be taken that will inspire change.

The lockdown was a time we felt globally connected. A sense of knowing that everywhere across the world, people's lives were being affected by the same virus. A time when 'you've got this' was a much needed affirmation. Today, our lives are impacted by problems shared by many but, not by all. Thus, creating this rise of 'we're cooked'. 

Every problem raised, is followed up with an opposing 'what about____', aiming to foster inclusion but only taking away from the problem raised. Denying the problem faced by many, as only one among the many problems many others across the world are facing. It is then easy to feel hopeless and helpless about the challenges you are facing in the job market when your challenges are contrasted against those the people living through wars are facing.

However, somewhere, if not everywhere, there are people who get up in the morning, then, they get ready for their days and, simply get on with their lives, completely unaffected by what many would consider to be reality. Their lives are not spent consuming information that would lead them to believe there is no hope left in the world. For some, their lives are evidence of what a belief in change being possible can do. 

When lockdown started, I am sure many of us believed that in a few weeks, our lives would return to normal. Then phase 2 of lockdown started, many of us likely began to lose faith in that belief. 6 years later, many of us struggle to believe such a time ever existed. However, for many of us, it was the first time we saw that our ways of life were not set in stone.

So, why did we let go of that awareness when the boarders reopened?

Every day was powered by the belief in a better future. Date unknown, but we hoped one day, it would arrive.

The reality is, we are living in it now. For many, I am sure it does not feel that way but, every day you are able to go outside, perhaps go to a restaurant, that is a time we once hoped for. Perhaps not in the way it looks today but, outside is a place we can go back to again.

If we look across all of human history, we are simply living in what are qualitatively, the best of times. 

If it does not feel that way, perhaps we need to start asking ourselves we have begun to disregard our own personal problems and fallen into a spiral where we ask 'what about ____' for every problem that is not our own. 

The simple reality is, if we do not see change as being possible in our own lives, we then struggle to see the possibility of change in the realms that fall out of our immediate control.

So, dear reader, before you echo another 'we are cooked', pick one problem you are facing in your life, a problem that is within your control. Then, ask yourself, what I am going to do to improve the way I feel about this one problem? 'Rome was not built in a day', 'you've got to look at yourself, and make that change'. Aim for 1% improvements a day then, check-in in 30 days. You might learn that nothing is set in stone, you might not. However, allow yourself the opportunity to find out if your reality is set in stone.

Once again, I am in awe of how far I have come. This is truly a victory I only hoped would be possible. Living in it, I feel excitement and gratitude. Thank you dear reader for giving me a space to share my thoughts. Thank you for reading them.

I have absolutely done my best these last 30 days, and today, I have done all that I could. I wish you a restful and reflective weekend. I am excited to be back here on Monday to try and be 1% better than I am today! I hope you are here to discover what the new week brings! :D

 AHHHHHHH!!!!! 30 DAYS!!!!