If you were to reflect your current state, what would that be? Happy, anxious, lonely, frustrated, panicked and thousand other feelings which I am sure you might be going through. Trust me, it's ok to not be ok and sometimes through these hard times, you apparently find the way out to your ultimate happiness which you might have been ignoring for so long. This blog wouldn’t talk about how the current pandemic is the devil out there and how it has ruined your year 2020 but will pause for a moment and reflect what positive impact it has done to you and your life. Some lessons are learnt in a harsh way, some lessons in a relatively less harsh way, but not all lessons have to be learnt through going through an outbreak. 

On this Teacher’s Day, I would like to send a bouquet of gratitude to the virus for all those lessons which it had taught me, which not just helped me be who I am right now but also how it has made me and most of us see the world, through the COVID-19 lens:

Hello Corporates, how’s WFH treating you?

Leaders across industries have embraced the art of ‘Working from Home’ (not sure with a heavy heart but did you actually have a choice?). Upgrading it to ‘Working from Anywhere’ is now a cool concept and you can now freely work from anywhere. Most of the organizations like Google, Twitter and most recently RPG Group have announced that they would be embracing this concept permanently. That saves your office space cost and of course, the hassle of travelling all the way to your workplace, even on days you don’t feel like leaving your bed. You owe a tight hug to this virus for letting you stay with your loved ones. 

Adaptability quotient is next level high 

We have heard a lot about virtual reality (VR). How does it feel that now reality looks virtual to you? Who knew these big conferences where 1,000+ people used to network and meet-greet, travel or fly all the way to the places for meetings/seminars etc will take a 360-degree shift. Thanks to the virus, you couldn’t step out of the house or go places. We have always talked about how physical appearances/meetings play out differently but look, your business is up and running even after the missing human-ness. Video calls over multiple platforms have now become a fatigue but somehow people are now used to it. And it's not just about your work life. I am sure you just video-called your house maid, haha!

COVID-19: The ultimate change maker, the ultimate digital disruptor!

The reliance over technology has always been there but 2020 witnessed some next level transformation in the technology space which not only disrupted the existing mainstream workplaces but also have now become a part of each and every single human’s life on earth. The biggest example would be the education industry itself. Zoom call classes and online examinations are now a thing and are being accepted happily (with of course a little of tears in your eyes). Becoming 100% virtual is not a far fetched dream. We were planning for it to become a reality in 2030 or 2040 but who knew 2020 would be that fateful year. 

Empathy is now important more than ever

This is my personal favorite. Empathy had always been there, in each one of us. But it took a virus to make us realize the real human in ourselves. Mental health was something which was just as fancy as an instagram post but now we have people genuinely supporting the importance of mental wellbeing at work and life. Organizations have now actively started looking at wellness as a policy rather than an offer. And it is great to see people being vocal about it. 

Ultimately, despite causing a lot of upheaval in our lives and turning our worlds around, this crisis has also taught us some valuable, never to be forgotten lessons for the future. Thank you, COVID-19, for helping me realize a lot of things and keeping me on track!