You Can Start Over This Period Only If You Can Ignore the Noise

Summary

The author emphasizes the unique opportunity provided by the COVID-19 pandemic to reassess and reinvent oneself, advocating for focusing on personal development and content creation or programming to thrive in the post-pandemic world.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has unexpectedly offered a global chance to reset and reconsider personal and professional trajectories. Over a period of approximately 12 weeks, individuals have been afforded the time to strategize for success in the upcoming decade. The author highlights that despite the economic downturn, which has led to job losses and business failures, this era presents a golden chance to discover new avenues for success. The article underscores the importance of taking proactive steps, such as learning new skills in content creation or programming, rather than succumbing to the distraction of daily trends and complaints prevalent on social media. Drawing inspiration from those who profited during the 2007–08 Financial Crisis, the author suggests that the current crisis could similarly lead to significant opportunities for those who choose to build and create rather than solely participate in the noise.

Opinions

The pandemic is seen as a rare opportunity for personal and professional growth, rather than just a crisis.
There are two outcomes foreseen for individuals post-pandemic: those who emerge better by finding alternatives and those who fare worse by complaining without taking action.
The author values action over mere talk, considering the latter to be of little value.
Social media challenges and trends are viewed as potential distractions that can divert attention from constructive activities.
The article suggests that content creation and programming are likely to be highly relevant professions in the future.
The author expresses concern for those not actively seeking to build something beneficial for their future.
The "noise" of daily issues and social media trends is identified as a significant obstacle to personal development.
The author advises against getting absorbed in the complaints and negativity prevalent on social media, as it can shape one's reality in a detrimental way.
The importance of using the pandemic period to learn new skills and create something lasting is heavily emphasized.

We don’t get these kinds of opportunities everyday

Whether you see it or not, the world has allowed everyone to start again. We’ve had about 12 weeks plus to retrace our steps and find out how we are going to succeed this decade. The COVID-19 gave us a window to find something new to do to be able to thrive in the coming years. I took this period seriously, probably the most serious I’ve been all my life because it’s a golden opportunity.

People lost jobs, lost money, and had their businesses fail, but more opportunities will be created, and more money will be made.

Two people would emerge from this period, the ones who would come out better because they found alternatives and the ones who would come out worse because they kept complaining and didn’t do anything else.

I don’t have a problem with people speaking up, but if that’s all you do, then there’s a problem because talk is cheap. And there’s something I noticed. There’s always one new juicy topic that would cause the public to lose their cool and start talking — things that just take your attention and time.

Do you remember how it was at the beginning of the lockdown when there were hundreds of social media challenges? How they were all in our faces? It’s normal to want to be a part of trends because of our innate need for belongingness — so I’m not judging anyone for trying to be a part of something, but my question is: Are you building something?

This period is a unique opportunity to build something for yourself because, in the future, things would be different. Many jobs wouldn’t survive the pandemic, and I worry about people who are not taking active steps to build something that would benefit them in the future.

I read an article on Investopedia about five investors who profited from the 2007–08 Financial Crisis. It clearly shows how a crisis is a big opportunity to make a change. There are loads of Youtubers and bloggers who started their content creation journey during that period, and today, they’re worth millions. They probably started because they lost their jobs or they felt like the 9–5 wasn’t as secure as was promised and they had to go out and do something for themselves.

And we have another opportunity to start all over with the pieces we have and build something we would be proud of in the future. And the way the world is going, the two significant professions would be in content creation (of any form) and programming — so if you’re looking for what to do, start your search from content or coding, and you will be fine.

In all these, our biggest enemy is the noise. There are so many issues that spring up every day. And people respond to it because most people are bored, out of money, out of jobs, and have nothing else to do, so everything that happens online, they own it and contribute endlessly to the topic until the next issue comes up. Would you blame that person? It would be unfair of you to blame anyone for lashing out because you don’t know what the person is passing through.

So the right thing is to mind your business and face your grind. Social media has made allowed us to be in other people’s lives and see their realities. This is a blessing and curse because, for one, we have a clearer understanding of other people’s situations, and the bad is, there’s a lot of distraction out there.

Let’s say you go on social media, and all everyone is doing is complaining about how everything is bad and how their bored and how they locked is this and that. Subconsciously, you would pick those things, and they become your reality. And when you start to complain and believe everything is against you, it would become your reality, and you would have more reasons to complain.

In the past months, social media has gotten more stressful for me to look at because all I see are people complaining and stretching out irrelevant issues more than needed.

Imagine if you used this time to create something. Imagine if you closed off the noise and learned a skill that would benefit you? You don’t have to react to every topic and trend on social media. This period comes ones in a while, and the people who would enjoy this decade, and the ones to come are the people who started now to create something.

Thank you for reading