I won’t even lie, Covid-19 has made a lot of people humble, specifically those of us who identify as high achievers or serious planners. Before 2020, before the pandemic, many people had vison boards with elaborate personal and business goals. But omo! After what we saw last year and how that has affected a lot of things, it has become normal to think twice before making big plans.
However, the fact that things have been low key does not mean any of us wants to feel like our life is wasting away due to factors we can’t control. In the very least, we still want to be able to make money, spend time with loved ones, contribute something to society. (Okay, not everybody wants to contribute to society, but you get sha.) My point is, even with these modest plans, it feels as if time is flying, and we can barely keep up with doing the bare minimum.
See ehn, when I realized that the year is half gone, omo, I panicked. Naturally I was thinking: 2020 gone, then 2021 would go like that? Haba. Like, there’s so much on my goal list that I have not even started, so it was a real state-of-emergency mode in my head. Thankfully, I was able to calm down and walk through my thought process.
I’m here to encourage you the way I encouraged myself. We are not only alive to tick goals and achievements. We have to find joy, happiness, enjoyment. These things matter too, and they are not always affected by pandemic. I am not saying we should ditch our goals or go through life without a plan o. I just mean that sometimes we can still have joy, peace, love, even when the items on our check list are not being crossed off. I think it is this kind of joy that we have to aim for as we enter the second half of the year.
So yes, instead of looking at only your career goals, check the enjoyment and wellbeing metric. Have you taken a break from work? What do you do on the weekend? Have you learned how to swim or ride a bicycle? Did you take a trip with friends or even alone? There are so many short, inexpensive trips one can take within Nigeria.
What about your skin? Are you keeping up with your skin routine? Did you pick up a hobby this year? Even if it is to learn how to bake, or pick up photography or painting?
I have heard of older successful people who look back on their life, and instead of feeling a sense of achievement at what they built, they are often filled with regret because they didn’t stop to smell the proverbial flowers. As you make career plans and goals for the second half of this year, please create space for joy and enjoyment.