My 3 Recent Revelations Due to Quarantine!
I think everyone on this earth is wondering, "Why is this all happening?" And "Will this pandemic end soon?"...This past week I was pondering the fact that there may not be an end in sight. Our lives as they were, pre-Covid-19, will not be returning any time soon.
You're probably thinking, "Great! How uplifting, Sandra! Can you be a little more positive?!" Why, yes, yes I can!
Please keep reading ;) Ha!
I think we all need to think about what are some positives coming out of this quarantine and our "new normal". What are you enjoying? What about this quarantine do you actually like or appreciate? I have been reflecting on what these last few weeks have taught me and these are my recent revelations:
1. I want to work to live, not the other way around. Being an entrepreneur sometimes gives you a sense of pressure. A pressure to always be working. To always be learning, achieving, reinventing yourself, reaching and making new goals, being better, succeeding, and the list goes on. My husband and I got our first taste of owning our own business over 15 years ago. Although it failed, it didn't stop us from starting another and for continuing to pursue big dreams. But this quarantine has shown me that life is short - that my family, peace, and living life to the fullest (which means something different for everyone) is what matters most. I want to do more of what I love and stop wanting to be like every other "successful" entrepreneur. So, I don't want to spend all my time working and achieving. I want to work enough for a living and then just be present with my family - help my girls with their home work. Dance with them, listen to their stories, watch movies....and just be. I'm done striving. God knows what I need and He will always provide.
2. I want to be local, not global. As you know, my Faith2Fitt ministry is just that - a ministry. It's not my career - it doesn't earn a living. And I'm ok with that! Again, going back to feeling pressured to make this a "business" or to be like other people who are turning their ministries into successful businesses, I was feeling like I had to use my spare time (because, I DO have a job y'all, and kids, and a husband...you get the picture) to make this ministry something BIG. Get more followers, get more subscribers, grow my "list", get noticed...again, achieve, pursue, succeed. I was thinking I had to be more digital like other women doing what I'm doing and attain a large, global audience. But I realized something - I like personal interaction. I like to encourage and inspire people that I KNOW, that I can see in person....that I can have community with. And certain platforms are just not me. Jesus had 12 friends. And even though he may have used YouTube or Instagram, had it been around in his time, I feel peace in knowing that if I only reach 10 people during a class or only inspire 1 with a blog post, it's all good. I LOVE the feeling I get when I'm going to share the word of God in a fitness class, because I know the Holy Spirit is going to come and do His work in each one of us while we are moving our bodies and getting out all of our stress, worry, and fear. I love the feeling I have when we've finished a Faith2Fitt class in prayer and everyone feels at peace. I want to continue sharing that and if it only reaches 10 people, it's just fine with me. This is my calling, and it is enough. Did I say, I'm done striving?
3. I want to be present more with my family. I want to stop looking at my phone all the time. I want my kids to know that if they're talking, I'm really listening to them and I'll remember what they said to me hours later, because I was actually LISTENING. The phone, social media, the feeling of missing out is a trap. A trap to make you feel like you aren't doing enough, aren't enough, don't have enough. Work will be there tomorrow. Emails will be there tomorrow. I don't have to answer every email, text, etc. at every second.
So, I end with what I love about this quarantine: not having to be anywhere - no obligations, no plans. Yes, there's a lot I miss (especially, being able to see and hug my mom!). But I'm embracing this new normal and praying for an uprising of faith throughout the world. The world needs more Jesus.
Reflection:
What are you loving about the quarantine? What has this time taught you?
“For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”