Just like many of you, I have been working from home for almost one year now. Ah, wait. It’s actually work-from-bedroom. At times, from the backyard.

Covid hit my life in March 2020. Neither did I wear 2020 Sucks’ t-shirts nor left ‘Covid Sucks’ notes at restaurants while making exits. Instead, for the first couple of months, I kept cursing the pandemic every time I curled up in bed. Days, weeks, months… I gradually discovered that for me, Covid was not as cruel as it was/is for millions of people worldwide.

Today I want to share how my life changed for good when I personally experienced these truths of life amidst the Covid pandemic.

#1 You are the only person responsible for your health:

Our body is our responsibility. Covid let us realize the importance of a healthy immune system. For years I was careless about my diet, nutrition, and fitness. The last eight months happened to be a self-reflection phase. I am a vegetarian, I have stopped consuming dairy products. I rarely eat junk foods. I work out. Most importantly I thank my body every day.

#2 Mental/emotional immunity is as important as physical:

In pandemic times, we all went through mental/emotional difficulties in some way or the other. Mental health is a part of holistic health and we all know how crucial it is to stay fit mentally and emotionally. It takes longer to build a strong mind and TODAY is the day to start off.

#3 No one will take care of you if you do not take care of yourself:

Looking for others to address my expectations and focusing less on myself was not at all helping me. I discovered — taking charge of myself is the smartest choice.

#4 Every single person on this earth has 24 hours in a day:

I kept worrying about my productivity all my life. Last one year was so generous to inculcate me with the fact — Successful people are not given more time for good things, it’s their capability to get more things done in a limited time.

#5 Death is inevitable, so are life lessons:

One of the bitter truths of life — Life gives you tests every day and you don’t know what’s there in your store. We have to keep our minds open to accept whatever comes our way, be it a bundle of grief or death. These lines are easy to read and are way more difficult to put into practice in real life. But… in Woody Hayes’ words — “There’s nothing that cleanses your soul like getting the hell kicked out of you.”

#6 Best things in life are FREE:

Smiles, affection, kind words, generosity, honesty, etc… do not cost a penny. Distributing these human values to others will make you richer. Give others as much as you can. Not to forget, charity begins at home, i.e. give to yourself first.

#7 Materials are not going to soothe your heart:

Excellent credit score, hefty bank balance, cruise vacations, Netflix, private parties are not going to work for you if your heart is heavy. Money matters a lot but it’s not everything. India’s one of the youth sensations, successful actor Sushant Singh Rajpoot committed suicide amidst pandemic chaos. It was discovered that he was living with depression for a long time. The demise of one of my fav celebrities had left me disturbed for more than a month.

#8 Our mind is the most valuable thing we own:

If your mind is happy, your body is healthy. If your mind is open to everything, you’ll be able to broaden your outlook on life. That’s a major sign of a strong mind. A fact says — Every revolutionary instance in human history started with a single thought. Likewise, we could literally bring the desired change in our inner world by allowing our minds to do what matters the most.

#9 You just need a handful of close ones to have a great life:

Internet friendships and networks are amazing but whenever life hits you hard, all you need is your family and few great friends to lean in. When you were indoors during the pandemic lockdown, did you FaceTime or text all your friends? Were you in touch with everyone you knew or considered closer? No! It’s always quality over quantity.

#10 Hard times are blessing in disguise:

If we all vouch for one common thing that Covid taught us, it is — hard times are mostly blessing in disguise. In my introspection, I often realize that if difficulties were not there in my life, I would not be the same person today. Taking time daily to reflect on how much we have is — a form of meditation.

#11 Your future is NOW:

You are living the first step of your future. Today is the perfect time you think and plan out how you want your tomorrow to be. Pretty understandable, Covid has impacted every aspect of the market and real estate is no exception. Now when work from home has changed our priorities in real estate, we cannot compromise on the quality of decisions we make.

If you are considering buying a house, upgrading house size, refinancing, or anything similar to these, I’ve got a tool that is extremely handy. You can use an online Mortgage Calculator, which offers graphs of your loan repayments and amortization tables to show you both what fits your budget and how quickly you’ll make progress in paying off your debts.

You’re just a thought away from your lifetime of happiness. Go ahead!

Originally published on February 7, 2021.