7 Silver Linings to Restart Your New Normal Lives: It’s Time to Hit Play Again
An outstanding checklist to meet or to lose yourself again
6 years ago, two entrepreneurs organized a TedX Youth in my hometown. They’re two very successful women who thrive in different sectors of industry.
Anna graduated in law but quickly realized that it was cosmetics she loved. So, she decided to join a friend, and both started a beautiful epic journey. They created a company growing its profits and the number of employees every year.
Christina manages two companies linked to quality control. She’s also the CEO of a startup, is an ultra-marathon runner, and still finds time to write in the local newspaper.
Both are the mother of 3 children, and they are the image of a modern woman. They play sports every day, manage time like a real Swiss watch, and still have time to offer their city a TedX that has turned everyone upside down.
You heard me well, upside down. Because the whole theme that brought the most varied guests to our local theater to speak had as its motto:
“Invert your thinking.”
Every guess brought different perspectives of businesses that, somehow, were turned upside down. And because they used reverse assumptions, things tend to play well in the long-term.
What is the reverse assumption?
For example, you are thinking of starting a car company. The first assumption might be: “cars have an internal combustion engine.” The reversal would be: “cars can’t have an internal combustion engine.” This would make the future CEO of the company find alternative ways of getting cars going. He would speak with the best specialists. And he would conclude building electric batteries was the solution.
Another example, you are thinking of creating a space rocket company. The first assumption might be: “NASA builds rockets for one round trip and spends billions.” The reverse would be: “my company builds renewable rockets and spend millions.” This would make the future CEO find the best engineers to make rockets fly and return to earth to be reutilized. Doing it at the smallest cost.
Does this sound familiar? Electric cars and renewed rockets? Let me give you a clue- Elon Musk.
Michael Michalko, a former US army officer, called it “assumption reversal.” Reversing an idea or thought destabilizes your conventional thinking patterns. And opens doors to new ways of thinking, creating innovative ways to solve problems.
The year 2020 was at least awkward. Dramatic for sure. This pandemic made us rethink our lives, reshape our routines, and redesign our mindsets.
Yet, 2021 has just started. And in an aftermath mode, what a better chance we have to reverse our boat sails, take a deep breath, and hit play.
1) Make better connections.
We all need technology like bread for the mouth. In our jobs, for the kids’ classes, and in our free-time, the devices alleviated part of our suffering.
But now, almost a year ago, does it justify we look like a nerdy 17-year-old Bill Gates with glasses more prominent than our face? Shouldn’t we return to ordinary people’s profiles, who use only addictive devices when it’s essential?
A ton of humanity is needed.
We don’t hug, we don’t dance in a tinny disco, we don’t go to concerts, we don’t go to a hundred thousand crowd soccer stadium, we don’t schedule dinners at our house with our friends or family, so give yourself a break.
And give everybody else a break too.
Step away from social media, and go for a long walk.
Step away from your email account, and have a friendly chat with your best friend.
Call your grandmother and listen to her life story for the thousandth time.
Be gentle to everybody that appears in front of you. Remember, before March 2020, you didn’t even look at people’s eyes.
Stop to reflect and appreciate your uniqueness. Contemplate your singularity. That will help you forgive, forget, and share.
2) Commit to print.
Forget your ecological footprint for a moment, and pay attention to the written press again. Leave the damn digital screen and rediscover what the printing resistants are doing. You’ll be surprised and fall in love again with the smell of a good magazine.
With all the time in the world to rethink our lives, I bet you missed that memorable trip you made with your best friends. How about letting yourself travel through the cozy design of a good travel magazine? You’ll feel the breeze of the Caribbean Sea or the smell of Amsterdam’s tulips. I bet that for a moment, the icy cold marble of the statue in that Florence church passes through your skin.
Don’t be afraid. Let yourself be carried away by the written press.
Do you remember how long you don’t feel vulnerable in the hands of a famous writer? Do you remember going wildly to the next page, because in reality, the writer grabbed you?
You even remember the exact place you were when you finished that book. You remember that cold white wine you’ve drunk. The soft breeze of an endless sunset danced to the surface of your face.
3) Simple things change just around the corner.
Rediscover all streets of your hometown or neighborhood. Despite the difficulties, you’ll see that new businesses start to appear. And the survivors who knew how to resist often create new layouts and innovative philosophies. Maybe your street has improved. Maybe that avenue you don’t go for years has a new store you will love.
Our cities are living organisms. We so often switch off from our places — most of the time for futile, materialistic, and empty reasons. We are so focused on resolving irrelevant conflicts that we miss the opportunity to come across the result of someone else’s effort to please us.
4) Podcast your life
Forget Netflix, Disney+, or HBO. Remember that old radio you have in your garage that’s broken? You don’t need it anymore. Just download an app and enjoy the purity of voices from good old conversations.
I’ve been listening to Renegades: Born in the USA, with two of the most iconic human beings alive. President Barack Obama and the boss, Mr. Bruce Springsteen, are flooding my soul with incredible sensations.
The depth level of these conversations is something unique. How can you miss it?
Yet, if you like any other topic, you have thousands of hours of excellent conversations about all themes. One thing I assure you. Listening to voices has a very different impact on you rather than the classic tv session. Somehow, it’s like you’re there, sitting beside your podcast guests. And it’s so intimate that you feel inside a bubble.
You enjoy the silence, and their voices, just you and them.
5) Nature is calling you.
I’m a trail runner. So, part of my time is in the mountains. But one thing I realized. The mountains are crowded.
In many training sessions, my friends and I spend hours without seeing a soul. But now, sometimes we have to get to the side, and the trail looks small even then.
Entire families from the city are discovering that the mountain is not a haunted forest where ghostly creatures live.
Instead, the forest is such a simple, quiet, and welcoming place. People finally realize the most uncomfortable places are in the city. Places always hurried, noisy, and polluted.
6) Is your mind full or mindful?
This last year has been overly stressed. Our lives changed in radical ways. Our routines changed, and we miss people. We miss our reality.
So, what’s the best way to relax and reorganize our minds with a new routine? Good mindfulness meditation can get you there. It’s more simple than you think. Most people imagine strange things, but it’s basically about breathing.
The good vibe about mindfulness meditation is that it calms you down. It makes your thoughts lighter, and you start focusing on yourself, your breath, your flow. Somehow, it works for millions of people.
You can do it when you wake up or before go to bed. But you can also do it outdoors. Imagine a magical place in a lake, where you can only hear the birds and the water. It’s just you, Mother Nature, and your breath.
Give it a try.
7) Give love, receive love, and make love.
I saved the funkiest topic for last. But funky or not, everything revolves around giving and receiving. And please, don’t be shy when it comes to showing love.
Time flies and people are not around forever.
Most times, you hear an older person saying they should have given much more love. They are in the redemption phase of life. But they can’t go back.
Before it’s too late, think about the people you love, and give them love. There are several ways to do it. A simple phone call works. A flower, a book, a trip, or even a simple smile make others fill that little love.
If it’s your lover, make love at the same time you whisper in his or her ear: I love you.
Remember, it can be the last time. Unfortunately, we never know.
Don’t miss anything about love. It is one of the most scarce assets in the universe. Why? Because we need much more love around us. The one that exists it’s not enough. We should embrace love.
If we embrace love, it would be abundant.
With love abundance, the level of happiness of all humans would be outstanding.
We need love. Love is all we need.
Final thought
Life itself doesn’t give us many opportunities.
This new reset can be one more precious opportunity for our redemption. We must embrace a fresh start with new habits. Better ones.
We should make better decisions. We should help, support, explore, dance, drink, hug, walk, smile, cook, make love, all that, but more often.
We faced the dark side last year. But the light is right there, waiting for us to embrace it.
Let us do it in a better way. Redesign your mind, improve your mental toughness, empower your grit, and find your simple singularity.
You’re unique. So, show us your better version.
You only have one life.
Live it well.
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