As someone who walks on the beach a lot (they reopened ours the other day) I notice that it never looks the same.
Sometimes the change is gradual and other times a Nor'easter or hurricane hits and it completely changes the landscape.
Each time I approach the ocean I am reminded that there are forces beyond my control that shape the world I experience. Whether I like it or not, the wind, waves and tides create a different beach than I walked on the day before.
The beach is always changing... just like life.
Over the last ten years we've experienced a gradual change in the way we work, shop for groceries, buy online, travel, watch television and movies, date, educate and more.
But this spring a tsunami in the form of a virus has changed our world and lives dramatically.
Through all the uncertainty people have used phrases like "new normal" and "return to normal" to describe what life will be like when we are no longer locked down and able to go back to our offices, restaurants, stores, etc.
But I'm not a fan of phrases such as "new normal" or "returning to normal" because what we consider normal is always changing. Whether it's a gradual or sudden change, we will always experience a changing world.
Change is normal and while it's normal to question and wonder how the world will change, I believe the bigger and more important question to ask is, "How will I improve and grow from the change?"
After all, it doesn't matter how the world changes if you don't change to thrive in it. The world is changing but are you changing? Change is inevitable but whether you change is a choice.
Will you change for the better?
Don't think of it as returning to normal or a new normal.
Return as someone who is changed for the better and ready to thrive in an ever-changing world.
-Jon
