June 2020: 8 stories in 6 publications

We’re halfway through the year but the COVID-19 pandemic is far from over.

With all the economic uncertainty, millions of people are struggling because they’re working under tough conditions or because they have no jobs left at all. Unfortunately, many governments are so rushed to restart the economy and reopen the world that they aren’t always thinking about the best way to do so.

On top of that, so many people are desperate to go back to normal life, even though acting like everything’s fine is only making things worse. That’s why we’re now seeing a surge in new infections, which is putting more pressure on the healthcare workers already under strain.

Accepting the present

Rather than complaining about why this didn’t have to happen, we must accept that it did. Unfortunately, many people are finding ways to escape from reality, whether it’s through cannabis or cocaine, so much so that the coronavirus pandemic could make the opioid crisis worse. It’s far healthier to fully acknowledge your emotions, no matter how painful they are.

Once you’ve accepted the present, you can start planning for the future, much like the scientists who are already on the hunt for the next deadly virus. Indeed, given the advances in medical science, it’s likely that you’ll live a long life. This means you’re free to set big goals that let you become whoever you want.

Taking action for the future

To achieve your goals, you need to take action every day. Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be big. It just has to make sense for you.

For example, instead of throwing away all your stuff, you could spend some time tidying up your home. And instead of completely changing your career, you could sign up for a course to learn new skills.

Ultimately, small steps add up to big change in the end. You just have to take them one at a time. As E.B. White writes in Charlotte’s Web, our book recommendation for the month (also available on Audible and as the delightful film):

Life is always a rich and steady time when you are waiting for something to happen or to hatch.

Your time is now.

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Empty seats at O.R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg (Copyright: Eugene Yiga)
Empty seats at O.R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg (Copyright: Eugene Yiga)