Even amid these difficult times, we can find ways not only to survive but to thrive.

Many things are outside of our control. We can not control the pandemic, we can not control the high unemployment levels, and we can not control the new social distancing practices that we have to follow to overcome the virus. But there are a few things that we can do to prepare for the future and come out of this quarantine period as better persons with more opportunities. We can profit from this pandemic without profiteering.

1. Excel while working from home

While in the past, many companies resisted the idea of allowing employees to work from home, now they have no alternative. It’s either to allow you to work from home or to not work at all. It took a pandemic for corporations to change their attitude.

If you happen to be in the fortunate position of still having a job and now you find yourself working from home. This is the moment to shine and to show your employer that allowing you to work from home is to their advantage.

If your employer allows you to work from home, they can save money on office space and they may end up with a more productive workforce. In addition, they can recruit employees from all over the world, instead of recruiting people who are in the same city as the office.

As for you, working from home allows you to live wherever you want to live, maybe you could live in a place where real estate prices are lower. You would save lots of time and money by not having to commute every day. And you will be able to spend more time with friends and family.

Try to go above and beyond your responsibilities. One day the pandemic will be over, and many people will go back to work in offices. If you can show your employer that you were as productive or more while staying at home, then you may be able to continue working from home.

2. It’s time to pick up a new skill

Maybe you are part of those people who have lost their jobs. If you are a Canadian citizen/resident, you are probably receiving help from our generous government.

If you are staying home and the government is helping you, this is an amazing opportunity to upgrade your skills. It’s almost like going back to college, with someone supporting you.

My recommendation is to learn something that you can do from home with your computer. Eventually, the pandemic will go away, but your new skills will stay.

My friend Cheryl took English as a Second Language course and now she teaches English, via the internet, to her students in China. I decided to learn website building and SEO consulting and I already have a new business.

Here is a list of online courses and skill upgrading resources you can use. Many are free and some are paid.

• Khan Academy
• LinkedIn Learning
• Skillshare
• Udemy
• Codeacademy
• LYNDA – Toronto Public Library – Over 3500 Tutorials ranging from web design to project management
• Coursera – Courses, certificates, and degrees online
• Class Central – Thousands of free online courses from universities like MIT, Stanford, and Harvard
• Free Code Camp – 450 Ivy League Courses online
• The Open University – Languages, Science, Sports, Psychology and more courses
• GCF Learn Free – teach yourself technology, math, reading and more
• Learn Something New – Links to tons of online learning resources

3. Get to know yourself

The day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom. ~Anais Nin

Some of us are standing before a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get to know ourselves better.

Assuming that you are not working and that your financial needs are being met by CERB, then you have the time and space to look inside of yourself and discover who you really are.

Many of us find ourselves sleepwalking through life. Ever since we are born, our family, friends, media, society, advertisers tell us how to behave, tell us what to like and dislike, and tell us how to feel.

We find ourselves in the trappings of a stable life, without ever knowing what it is that we truly want. We don’t question anything, we don’t question religion, we don’t question the government, we don’t question advertisers, we don’t question society’s expectations of us. We take everything at face value.

One day we look at the mirror and we say: “Who are you? Who is the person on the other side staring at me?” This is a great time to find out.

This is the best time in our lives to realize that we have control of our lives and to take responsibility. To deal with our past injuries. To ask for forgiveness if we have harmed someone. To confront our addictions. To show compassion towards ourselves, towards others, and towards the planet.

Conclusion

We are facing challenges never seen before in our lifetime. It is up to us to allow those challenges to destroy us or to take them as an opportunity to grow; to become better employees, to get additional skills, to get to know ourselves and to become better persons.

Related Posts

1. How to prevent burnout while working from home
2. Covid-19 was the push I needed to transition into a digital life
3. CERB: How to make the most out of it

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