2020…Year of the New Normal
This year has been…interesting…to say the least.
Let’s flashback to New Year’s Eve 2019. Everything in life seemed to be coming together, and I had a feeling that 2020 would be THE big year of change. I had just gotten back from a life-changing trip to Asia, and was now committing the next few months to studying for the GMAT, applying to business schools, and helping out my parents with their small business. As I looked around at all my close friends celebrating with a disgusting amount of alcohol, I couldn’t help but feel a warm sense of gratitude and hope (or that might’ve just been the Jameson).
Low and behold, this year was definitely filled with change, just not the change I was expecting.
The Chester, Altobelli, Mauser, Zobayan, and Bryant families lost precious loved ones…
Wildfires continued…
Tornadoes ripped through the South…
Wildfires tore through the Amazon…
These crazy things took over…
An unprecedented number of mass shootings since May 2013 (there were 59 in the U.S.) were committed…
The U.S. economy hit a recession, unemployment rates/unemployment claims skyrocketed…
Coronavirus shocked the world…
Police brutality and systemic racism continued…
As these events unfolded and filled headlines globally, I’ve once again come to question why I’m pursuing the things I’m pursuing. Am I choosing to invest all this time, money, and effort for business school of my own volition? Or is it to satisfy some deeper (and more shallow) definition that I hold for happiness and success?
After going through this draining process of studying and filling out application after application, I found myself slowly starting to lose the fire that ignited this whole process (once again). Everything felt like more of a chore than a pursuit of passion. The truth is, I felt worse with each application, and merely questioned how this would help the world around me. I felt powerless in both this application process, and in figuring out how to help out the world outside of mine.
And now that I’ve heard back from most of the schools, I’m realizing that this just might not be the year for business school to happen. This was a huge pill to swallow, especially since that’s been my primary focus for the past 1.5 years (and a goal since I was a kid). The reality is…most schools are still online due to the coronavirus, with no timeline of when in person classes will resume. This changes everything, since the price of attending an MBA program might now be inflated.
Suddenly I found myself lost again, and questioning everything. So what’s next? What am I supposed to do now? Is it the end of the world? What can I possibly do to prevent that?
When I stepped out of my own train of thought and worries and tuned back into the bigger issues taking place (healthcare workers on the front line, hyper-competitive job market, unemployment rates, economic instability, unemployment claims, police brutality, people dying, & a broken system), it made me feel a range of negative emotions. But, it also made me feel optimistic that better times lie ahead.
I hear some people say, “I can’t wait for all this to be over, and for things to go back to normal”. The thing is, I don’t think the world will ever be “normal” again, and it shouldn’t be. If anything, this is the year when real change should start. The tricky thing is, we don’t always know how we can be a part of that solution.
I think I speak for most when I say these past few months have been tough. Thoughts of anxiousness, fear, hopelessness, anger, grief, confusion, and guilt run through my mind. We’re all affected by what’s going on during these times, but we’re not all fighting the same battles.
During these turbulent times of uncertainty, try and remember to focus on the things that you can control. Taking care of yourself during these tough times can make a big difference.
Personally, I’ve tried to…
- educate myself by reading more books
- meditate daily (using Headspace application)
- eat clean (ish)
- exercise regularly (a ton of gyms are still sharing free workouts on their socials)
- motivate myself (following different positive accounts on social media, and using the “daily motivation” app)
- follow the news as much as I can (without burning out)
- support my parent’s small business
- support other small businesses by sharing information, or from DoorDashing :)
- have those tough conversations regarding politics, race, privilege, and health with family and friends
- share resources (petitions, educational materials, news sources, government loans)
- check in on loved ones to make sure they are holding up okay
- take time for myself when I need it
- seek out the right sort of help when I needed it (including therapy for the first time!)
- register to vote
None of these things individually can change what’s going on outside of my world, but I’ve found the downside of not doing these things caused more harm than the positives from doing these things.
These are unprecedented times, and it’s not surprising if you’re feeling like it’s mercury retrograde times 50.
As a friendly and gentle reminder, please look after yourselves and your loved ones. Don’t be motivated by fear; nobody has it figured out right now (and that’s completely okay). Be motivated by the opportunities that lie beyond what we can see.
The world is in an ever changing state right now, so try to let go of those plans you created mentally and remember to be flexible.
Lastly, try to find that light at the end of the tunnel. If anything, we can always light a match.
