Hey all. Good to hear from everyone.

Different perspectives are great, it’s how we all learn and look to grow out of our comfort zones,. Few thoughts from my perspective on this one;

– A wake up call is all fine and good – but what really makes the difference is sticking with it and helping people use that initial motivation to translate it into action.

– In my experience,  few people take much real responsibility for their own lives. They are used to being led and influenced in some way or another, be it family, partners, media, history etc etc. It’s easier than thinking for themselves and therefore having ownership of both mistakes and successes.  It takes effort to first understand this, let alone then work out what they actually want. And that’s all before they get into the real hard work of figuring out what choices are going to help make it happen. So yes, motivation is important but unless you follow through, it’ll fizzle out quickly.

– Don’t expect giant leaps, small steps are how true change happens and sticks. Positive thoughts are great but only if paired up with action. For example, someone looking to improve their fear of confrontation can think about having the courage to speak up, imagine themselves saying their truth. But only when they actually do it, can they feel just how powerful it is. Thinking about it ahead of time and choosing a small situation to begin with increases the likelihood of it succeeding – and therefore encouraging that person to try something bigger/harder next time. Both are needed to actually be able to conquer the fear over time.

– Absolutely, there are some people on this forum who are worrying about things that seem insignificant to us, magnified by the current crisis for sure.  It can be easy  to see and judge from our perspective that they really don’t matter in the grand scheme of things.  Without being in those people’s shoes and trying to understand their fear, it is impossible to understand and I’m not a fan of judgement. Everyone makes their own choices – so long as they accept the consequences of those choices and they don’t impact others – it’s their choice.

– Do I hope the pandemic helps people take a step back and think about their lives – absolutely. And if you can help a few see this – awesome. As Adelaide mentioned, whilst it works for some – there’s a big shame element in your message even if unintentional.  If you really want to make a difference – try and stick with it and help people through to that next stage of being able to make better choices and improve their lives. In reality, I’ve found most people are prompted more on a personal level but I do think a few healthy changes will come out of this. I do expect it’s going to be tough on a lot of people for a long while and so the more of us there are able to support, encourage & push as needed, the better.

@ DoseofReality. Am curious why you think you don’t have a high liklihood of survival. I’m going to assume health reasons. Regardless, I understand why that would prompt you to want to ensure your life has impact and it’s a good way to choose to respond – hopefully you will understand my thoughts are aimed at having maximum long-term impact, best as I’ve learnt how so far. Look forwards to hearing more from you.

Cheers all.