Lessons from the Pandemic

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Dear Readers, What the pandemic has taught me.

Summer 2020 Atlantic city

Before the pandemic I had no idea how out of touch with reality I was. My reality a year ago was grinding and not making much progress in areas of my life that truly mattered. I was on a treadmill moving, but going nowhere, or at least I wasn’t seeing the progress for my efforts. I can’t be the only one emerging out of this pandemic a changed person. There is a saying that “ there is a blessing in the storm.” What has happened to this world was more than a bad storm, and regardless of whether our government withheld information about this virus, it came, destroyed, changed course and hit us with a second wave. It’s been 1 years and 2 months, and  we continue to struggle. Although we may have lifted ourselves above the eye of this pandemic there are people who are unable to pick up the pieces and move forward for various reasons. I have used all the available resources to ensure my mental and emotional health. Summer is coming and I looked forward to being outdoors as much as possible. I am thankful for the down time, peace and space to reflect on life. I have pressed the reset button here is what the pandemic has taught me.

1. I am not going back to the same work grind. 

2. I realize I can live on less and save more ( had time to reflect on the ways I was wasting money). 

3. I have a  plan for retirement that’s achievable ( before the pandemic I had no idea how to retire or what was needed to have a successful retirement ). 

4. I am finally in a position to change careers. During the pandemic I took advantage of online classes acquiring the needed certification for my new career. 

5. I will stop delaying traveling starting with this year’s  ( 2021) cross country drive from New York City to California. This has been on my bucket list for 15 years. And yes, I will be blogging about this experience. 

6. I will no longer deny myself any pleasure things like dining out, Broadway plays, weekend getaway, spa treatments, girls night out, spending the holidays with my mother ( she lives in South Carolina).

7. Finally going to adopt a dog I have been wanting to do this for years.I live alone and will welcome a 4 legged companion. I went through the pandemic home alone and it was difficult.

Most importantly, I am kinder to myself. Right now I am happier and peaceful than I have been in years. I am looking forward to the future with better clarity and with an achievable plan. 

To the people of  the blogging community remember this W.I. N. think about What’s Important Now?

Summer 2018 in California

Summer 2020

Thank you for stopping by dragthepen

Letters to Self

Happy New Year and Welcome to Dragthepen

I am back from a much needed rest. I have had time to reset and refocus, and I am feeling stronger emotionally. I have a new plans for moving forward with  my new brand http://www.conversationswithjrfloyd.com/ and for my blog Dragthepen.

Questions, are you planning to start 2020  with making useless resolutions? Are you setting yourself up for failure, again by making  promises to live your best life? Have you sat down and spend time in deep thought about YOU and the plans for this best life. 

let me help you get started I want to introduce my new theme and challenge for the 1st 6 months of 2020. 

1st,  I challenge you to make a list of your top 6 goals, this takes real thinking about areas of your life that need to improve in order to achieve your goals. There are some things that you might have to clear out of your life in order to make room to receive the new blessings.

2nd, turn those goals into a creative vision board: if you need help in this area there are tons of video’s on you tube to get you started. Word of caution don’t go crazy with unrealistic goals. I am talking about things that you know you can accomplish by making small steps that turn into to big results.

3rd, I would like to help you rid yourself of emotional baggage and fears  by suggesting that your write letters to yourself.

Create a space in your house where you can setup your visions board and write these letters to self. this must be a place where your going to be undisturbed, remember this space is for you to send time looking at your vision back and mapping out plans to make your goals a reality. In these letters you can write about emotions or experiences that you’ve been suppressing, like past break ups, people, pain, anger, poor choices you’ve made, or for letting go of your dreams.

I am suggesting this letter writing exercise because the letters that I have written to myself  have helped me to go deeper into my healing process and open areas of my life that I have hold onto for too long. 

For more on this letter writing process you can follow me on my You Tube channel Conversations with J. R. Floyd or m live chat on facebook……in the coming New Year 2020, I will be sharing live my letters to Self and giving my viewers a new topic to write about each month.

Thank you for reading.

http://www.conversationswithjrfloyd.com