There’s no doubt that we are living in challenging times. Routines, small issues and things we take for granted are all disturbed when something like the current Covid-19 pandemic arises.

Immediately and ironically motivation returns in the absence of the luxury of laziness.

Despite the concerning prospect of this nasty virus sweeping the world, resulting in both medical and economic chaos, I am also hopeful and optimistic that there is a light on the other side, one where we have the opportunity to come out more grateful, more mindful and more motivated than ever to keep moving forwards.

A few years ago, when I was stuck in a lifestyle situation that I didn’t like and in the long term couldn’t sustain, I experienced a level of motivation I have not yet managed to regain in the years since. In that state, my focus was razor sharp, my priorities were clear and the things I achieved during that time were awesome.

Sometimes I feel like I have spent the last few years trying to rediscover that feeling. In reality, that level of focus generally only comes from a situation where your subconscious knows that ‘danger’ is imminent, that there is a threat you need to address and that there is no room for mucking around.

This recent crisis has reminded me that in general, we often suffer from the luxury of laziness. We are big cats, lazing on the Savannah, content in the knowledge that nothing is going to eat us in the short term and that all our plans and aspirations can probably wait.

When I was the most motivated I was in a constant state of concern. Concern for my job security, my future happiness and the ability to put food on the table and a roof over my head.

For the first time in many years, in the past days I have experienced whispers of that same concern.  Panic buying in the supermarkets, the uncertainty of a silent threat to health, family and the spectre of recession on the horizon. My mind is beginning to return to a state of alertness. In the face of a situation that could threaten my way of life I am suddenly more motivated than I have been in a long time.

Suddenly, I am thinking about health, fitness and intentional living from a different perspective. There is a big difference between wellness and survival and the line between the two has now been drawn by a tiny microbe.

Published by the lean minimalist

Donna Sherriff is a New Zealand based improvement and operations management specialist. Seeing a need for simple, no fuss, improvement advice she started The Lean Minimalist blog in 2017. Donna writes articles offering advice and tips for rapid and sustainable business improvement based on over 15 years in Senior Management roles. Passionate about sharing the lessons of over 20 years on the high performance track Donna offers coaching services to professionals. She also writes about her own personal improvement journey, minimalism, and her life long struggle against the tyranny of cookies and sugar which she overcame in 2020. These days, Donna is pursuing a journey to earn her black belt in Taekwondo after a long hiatus of 16 years away from training. On the side she is an amateur but passionate musician and poet. View all posts by the lean minimalist