There’s a beautiful quote from lifestyle guru Dave Hollis that reads, “In the rush to return to normal, use this time to consider which parts of normal are worth returning back to.” And, well, that got us thinking. How have our perspectives and values shifted as we hunker down and reflect at home? What regrets do we have, what passions have we reignited, what revelations have we experienced? Change is certainly inevitable. But growth? That’s entirely optional. Below, explore the many ways in which we’re shaping a new normal and redefining what life looks like for us in a post-COVID world.
We’ll seek out nature more than urban environments.
Social distancing in a city? Not so easy. Social distancing in the outdoors? A total piece of cake. In a post-COVID world, we anticipate occupying our weekends, vacations and, well, daily life with the healing powers of nature — whether that be hiking in Topanga Canyon on a Saturday afternoon or booking a trip to South Africa for a life-changing safari. Moving forward, we will never take wild, open space for granted.
We’ll support local businesses more than ever.
Among the most devastating effects of this global outbreak is the drastic deposition of local businesses, from our favorite restaurants to boutiques, farmer’s markets, gyms, hair salons and beyond. And while it’s simple to place an order on Amazon these days, we’d like to share Jeff Bezos’ wealth with the rest of the world. So from here on out? We’ll be doing our best to purchase anything we need from our beloved neighbors who desperately need our support.
We’ll be more aware of our footprint on the planet.
One of the greatest silver linings of this pandemic is the unprecedented decrease in air pollution across the world as major cities impose lockdown measures. By driving and consuming less, we’re able to see tangible differences in society — smog-filled skies are clearing, snow-crested mountains are visible for the first time in eons. So as global restrictions are lifted, we’re going to do our best to inhibit a major rebound. We’d like to see Mother Earth flourish — what about you?
We’ll consume less.
In our pre-COVID world, it was all about who had the most. Now? It’s undoubtedly valuable to have less. No one wants to be the person hoarding toilet paper at home when countless people out there have none. Not only that, but we’re also learning that we don’t need to travel as much, whether by car or plane, or impulse-buy so many clothes (it’s all about loungewear these days, anyway). By and large, it’s not so bad to live simply — and it’s certainly nice on our wallets.
We’ll reshape our living (and working) environments.
Spending so much time at home has got us thinking. How can we refashion our living environments to satisfy our daily routines, from homeschooling the kids to hosting virtual meetings, practicing yoga and more? The pandemic is unquestionably redefining our notion of home, and not only that, it’s making us question the need for office space. Why pay rent when your employees can work remotely? In a post-COVID world, we anticipate a major change in the way that people both live and work around the world.
What will define your “new normal” in a post-COVID world? What valuable lessons have you learned that’ll stick with you? We’d love to know — because one other major takeaway? Well, it’s that we’re all in this together.