I’ve done a lot of excavating previous blog posts lately as I find it is a great way to get ideas for my next blog post. For some reason, I have gravitated especially to posts from 2020. It’s fascinating to see my posts from the first year of the Pandemic. While the world was reeling in the midst of a health crisis, my blog retained the same feel-good spirit it always has. Looking back, I feel appreciation and a sort of wonder at how well I kept my head on straight during that time.
2020 was a triumphant year for me personally. And not just because I blogged a lot! For starters, despite quarantine, my happiness was essentially not interrupted by the Pandemic. As I wrote (this was written last year but is about 2020):
Suddenly we were staying at home all the time. All my students were on Zoom. My wife and I only drove the car to get groceries. Much of the previous idea of “normalcy” had been stripped away. And yet, personally I felt no diminishment of happiness. In fact, in a way, I felt even happier, because I wasn’t feeling pressure to do or be certain things that I had previously felt pressure to do or be. I thought to myself, “I’m pretty happy now. This must be my 20%!”*
Day 76: Personal Happiness and the 80/20 Rule, from 9/16/22
We had the essentials to keep things working. It helped financially that Charr and I transitioned quickly and smoothly to 100% online teaching. Personally, we both benefitted from drawing inward while adopting a simpler lifestyle. I maintained a positive attitude by going into my Abraham-induced bubble of well-being. We entertained ourselves by playing cards and watching TV shows like “The Office” & “Big Bang Theory.” I blogged and did a lot of running. These simple wins felt like triumphs.
Perhaps my biggest win of 2020 was maintaining a positive attitude. As I wrote on April 8, 2020:
I feel that these times are the greatest opportunity ever to take charge of our headspace! This is the time to say, I know that there is good in this world. I know that the Universe is good, and I shall look for things to feel goodabout! I shall appreciate the wondrous things of life, the wondrous experiences, and the wonderful blessings that shower upon me! I shall revel in good-feeling things! I am taking charge of my mindset, of my focus, and of my mood! I control what I focus on, and I choose to focus on Joy, on Well-Being, on Abundance, and on Love. I focus on Appreciation. I focus on thinking good of others, thinking good of the world, and knowing that everything is going to be alright.
I Choose! from 4/8/20
The title of that post says it all. It is an empowered declaration to take charge of my focus and generate a positive life experience. I Choose!!
*The 20% refers to the 80/20 rule, the idea that 20% of activities result in 80% of outcomes.