The New You

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What would you say to your pre-coronavirus self if you had the chance? I’d probably say that it’s possible to accomplish long term dreams in much shorter spans, that we don’t have to wait for retirement to spend quality time with the family on a daily basis, that we can be as productive while working remotely and that it’s never to late to learn something new.

As nature becomes the universal teacher, and every single person on earth an enraptured student, life is on the brink of change. We’re now seeing a new side of all the people we have loved and followed for years. Let’s start with the widely talked about Yuvraj-Sachin challenge. Yuvraj Singh created the #KeepItUp challenge to encourage his wide fan following to use the extra time indoors to hone their skills. He set the ball rolling by literally ‘keeping it up’; he bounced a ball expertly on the side of his bat to enthrall his social media followers. Sachin Tendulkar, who was nominated by Yuvraj to take on the challenge demonstrated that he is still the real boss by doing the challenge blindfolded! All of social media bowed down once again to the greatness of the undisputed master blaster. The lesson in this r all of us is not only to meet challenges but ace them!

Through all of this, Yuvraj’s Singh’s message to #KeepItUp while isolating, rings true for all of us. The early days of social distancing and working from home saw only a handful of first movers capitalizing on the opportunity to try their hands at new things, today it has become a norm. From cooking and practicing home fitness, to learning new skills and upgrading knowledge, each one of us has explored a hitherto dormant side of ourselves. Friends and colleagues all around me have used this time to explore a range of innovations including home-schooling their children, listening to webinars by prominent leaders and pursuing executive learning programs online.

India’s heartthrob, Deepika Padukone shared that she was learning to play the piano, a skill that she had always wanted to pick up. Whether it is a musical instrument or a paintbrush, creativity is an aspect that lies within everyone, just waiting to be explored. In the sphere of business, keeping teams closely knit and motivated while working remotely needs creative problem-solving. Driving business impact, no matter which department you are in, needs creativity to come into play. New ways of thinking open new doors, and the time to pull up our socks is now.

Uplifting yourself is one thing, but some of our heroes raised the bar by finding their purpose through serving others. Actor Sonu Sood has said, “Migrant workers built our homes; I couldn’t watch them being homeless.” That comment won hearts on the internet, but beyond that it struck a chord with people who felt grateful that celebrities care. Joining him in making a difference, are several other stars who have contributed financially and offered moral support to those in need. Ordinary folk too, have gone out of their way to do their bit in easing the burden. People have offered migrants food on their long journey home, helped their personal staff with provisions and educated others without charging a fee – across all their endeavors people have become more empathetic humans.

In this scenario, who is the new you?  Which side of yourself have you revealed – empathy, creativity, skill, health, fitness and support. Till yesterday these were all non-essential pursuits, despite being essential aspects of being a wholesome human being.

I join Yuvraj Singh and many other leaders in business, sports and entertainment in urging you to #KeepItUp by keeping teams together, sharing the chores at home, being closer to our families, widening our knowledge, sharing our own knowledge and simply spreading the light.

Embrace what you have because the new tomorrow demands a new you. Leverage technology to forge human connections – even if it sounds ironic. Provide solutions for problems that you never knew existed, even if they are the government’s responsibility more than yours. Be more true to yourself, rise up and achieve more – it truly is now or never.