For us Houstonians, the shutdown to control the pandemic began on March 16, 2020. While the shutdown ended, our lives are far from back to what they were before the pandemic. The cloud of uncertainty looms. For 529 days, I feel as if I have been in the passenger seat of the car of my own life. Some days, I feel as if I am not just a passenger, but a passenger in the third row seat that is unable to even see out the front of the car.
For more than a year now, I have responded to my surroundings each day rather than driving outcomes in my surroundings. When I do make a plan, it is for a short duration in case something outside of my control changes. Short plans help me keep on top of things at work, and they keep me sane, but they do not progress me to my overall goals.
Reflecting on the past 529 days, I feel two major regrets. The first is that I lost touch with so many people. Going an entire day on Saturday or Sunday without talking to anyone outside of my house has become the norm. Without social events, networking events, and a lunch hour, I lost touch. I think isolation is the biggest driver of my aggravation this week.
My second major regret is my health. Truthfully, it should be easier than ever to be at an ideal weight and in excellent shape. I finally have time to exercise everyday, and it is so much easier to eat healthy at home than at a restaurant where God only knows what is going into the food.
I could make excuses and cite the fact that most people gained a significant amount of weight over the past 529 days, and the fact that I know that I am not the only one that has lost touch with people. Neither of the excuses explain why I did, and neither of these excuses solve the problem.
Instead of excuses, I am spending my day making a 100 day plan, and I am going to kick off my plan starting tomorrow. The desired outcome is to get back into the driver’s seat of the car of my own life. I am tired of waiting for the world to go back to the way life was before the pandemic. I am tired of having my life on hold, and I am tired of not feeling good because of my poor health choices.
I plan to break the 100 days down into 20 short sprints with a set of goals to accomplish for each sprint. From a health perspective, these goals include losing weight, spending time at the gym, yoga, and running. From a regaining touch with the world around me, these goals include reaching out to me, planning social events, and getting out of the house!
For 529 days it is as if I have been waiting for someone to say, “okay, resume your normal life.” Everyday, I work long hours, eat dinner, play a game or two with Little Chirp, and then I plant myself on the couch in front of Netflix with a bottle of wine. While I like work, and I like the time with Little Chirp, this is not a healthy life.
I intend to get out of waiting mode and back to choosing how I live my life each day. I am taking the wheel of the car of my life.