Turn lockdown into a personal development opportunity

AS the country undergoes 21-days of lockdown, Cindy Norcott, local businesswoman, encourages individuals to stay positive and to turn this time into a personal development opportunity.

Cindy recommends developing daily habits to see you through this time of isolation.

She said it is vital to use this time to rest, re-calibrate, calm down and reinvent.

“Have a routine every day. If you are working from home, get dressed into work clothes. Start off each day with one question – What is my purpose today? What is the one thing that will make today great?” she said.

Cindy said you should write down three things that you are grateful for that you were not grateful for yesterday. This will help you focus on the positives.

She also encouraged people to do one good deed for someone else every day, which will help take the focus off yourself and your own problems and concerns.

“This could be a call to someone who is lonely. It could be a small financial donation to a charity. It could be collecting your old clothes and household items for charity and so on,” she said.

Other suggestions include doing some exercise every single day, praying or meditate every day and writing in your journal every day, read a business or motivational book and read the Bible daily.

“Set your goals for the rest of 2020 and work on this document every day. Create a separate page for each of the separate parts of your life: health, relationships, financial, career, personal development, social life, home, family, community, spiritual, travel, hobbies and interests, community,” she said. She suggested each day connecting with one person telephonically who you would not normally call, in order to check up on them and see how they are.

Cindy urged people to limit TV viewing to a maximum of two hours a day, limit screen time on your phone to one hour a day, and to watch one Ted Talk per day.

“Spend quality time with your immediate family each day, play a game, have deep meaningful conversations, cook together and do something creative. For your health, have a nap every afternoon, stay off sugar and get 20 minutes of sunlight per day. Be silly, find your sense of humour and laugh every day,” she suggested.

Cindy said people should use this time to spring-clean one small area of their home each day and throw away absolutely anything that no longer serves you.

“This crisis is a lesson in humility and abundance. Can you find three items per day to donate to charity? By the end of the 21 days, you will have 63 items!” she said.

To make it through this time, Cindy said there are things that you shouldn’t do. These include not sharing or promoting anything online that is not verified or that is negative or that promotes panic.

“Don’t moan, groan, grumble and complain! We are all in this together! Make a decision to be an agent of positivity in this time. Imagine how you will feel in 21 days if you follow this!” concludes Cindy.

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