Current circumstances are grim. Sick people are dying. Governments are failing. An economic crisis is looming over. You know all this already. I don’t need to go into detail.

Yet, I believe that this crisis can turn out to be the best time of our lives. We might not get a second chance to change. We have all been granted with a choice.

Do we continue pursuing a system proven to fail? Or do we use this crisis as an opportunity to flip things around?

It is when external events challenge us that we must come back to ourselves. This is when our philosophy, our mindset, our virtues, matter most. How do you respond to life’s challenges when all your certitudes and beliefs are washed away?

Personally, I’ve used this time to get back in shape (after catching the virus) and to reflect on how I wanted to serve others. I’ve always wanted to learn how to write and to share my ideas and experiences. But frankly, I was too terrified until now. Quarantine gave me the chance to step into that fear and to start expressing myself.

So this is what I would like us to think about: how do we make the best use of this challenge and use it to grow?

Before we start moving into action, I think we must begin by getting clarity on what’s important for us. To inspire change, we need to have an idea of the direction we are going towards, a guiding star. This vision of a better future gives us hope. It motivates us to take the necessary actions to get there.

“To operate at your highest level of contribution requires that you deliberately tune into what’s important now.”
Greg McKeon

But how do we get clarity on where we want to go?

The first step is to identify what’s truly important for us. For this, I know no better exercise than Stephen Covey’s eulogy exercise from The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

Imagine yourself at your funeral. You are dead and people are talking about who you were. Now, think about what you wish the people at your eulogy say about you. What are the qualities and virtues you embodied in your life? What do your colleagues, family, and friends say? What did they admire you for? What did you do to contribute to society? Why did your life matter?

Give yourself time to think about this. Write everything down. Maybe set a timer and let everything come out.

The answers you come up with will give you clarity on what you value most. They are unique to each of us and we all have a deep drive to follow them. But sometimes we forget to listen. When we are on our deathbed, all the superfluous fluff doesn’t matter anymore.

I also encourage you to ask WHY you think these things matter to you.

For me, this includes being the best person I can be regarding my 1) Spirituality & Growth 2) Family & Friends 3) Service & Self-expression. These areas are the main focus of my time now.

But determining what’s important for us is not enough. In Essentialism, Greg McKeon proposes that we start thinking about what’s essential and non-essential to us. His book teaches us how to declutter our personal life (I highly recommend it). Yes, that means reflecting on what we need to get rid off.

• What behaviors are driving you downwards?

• What non-essential activities are you investing too much time in?

• What is distracting you from focusing on what you value?

In my case, I spend too much time consuming content on internet and watching YouTube videos. I easily get distracted and triggered by my family. A few years ago, I would also have answered social media, Netflix, and gaming. But I’ve decided to cut them out because they weren’t fulfilling me.

Thinking through this lens can relieve us from a lot of stress and free up a lot of energy. We don’t NEED to do everything. It is up to us to decide how we make the best use of this precious life we have been offered.

To finish these exercises on clarity, I propose a little experiment. For the next 3 days, track how you spend your time. Keep a journal, your phone or a piece of paper, and write down everything you do, when you do it, and for how much time. See what insights come up.

Let’s make the best use of this time to get clarity on what’s important for us.

Step by step, we can start bridging the gap between who we are and who we are capable of being.