Five positives in five weeks

Last week I posted a blog all about the things I have learnt during lockdown. This week I have decided to write about the five positive things that have come out of five weeks in lockdown. Written down, five weeks doesn’t seem like a long time, but in practice it can mean a lot of emotions, a lot of changes and also a lot of laughs

1. Reconnecting with friends

I have reconnected with so many old friends over the last weeks. I have been meaning to text these friends and catch up for a while but life is always so fast paced and busy, that I have either forgotten or been distracted. It has been lovely to speak with friends from my old dance school, friends who have moved to different places and friends who live near! This connection has highlighted to me how lucky I am to be surrounded by amazingly supportive, hard working, determined and inspiring young women. To my friends, near and far, you are wonderful.

2. All the small things

As I have just mentioned, life has slowed down a lot since we have been in lockdown. There is nowhere to go and no-one to see, and so the days have consisted of working in the sun in the back garden a lot, trying to workout everyday and watching the daily government briefing. But this also means that I have started to appreciate the small things in life. The sound of my mother’s laughter, watching my dad play with our puppy Bernie, talking about music with my twin brother, Lucas - these have been the things which have kept me going. As well as our weekend drinks in the sun, reminiscing about past holidays, childhood memories and playing family games. It could be a lot worse.

3. In isolation there is unity

I have loved watching the funny videos online of people coming together to celebrate birthdays from afar, families performing dance routines on TikTok and giveaways from companies. The creativity of the UK population cannot help but make you smile. Personally, I performed in a Irish dance piece compiled by the company Unity Irish Dance. Dancers from all over the world came together to spread some positivity and the end video was amazing! It certainly made us smile. When faced with adversity, it seems we react with laughter. I suppose the old saying is true, if you do not laugh, you’ll cry.

4. The freedom to exercise

I have loved the time I have each day to exercise. I have been aiming to exercise 2 hours a day 5x a week. This seems a lot but my daily run, post stretch and ab workout account for almost an hour of exercise. Add in HIIT workouts to try and maintain my fitness levels, additional dancing programmes to work on toe height, turn out, sharpness and then actual dancing practise. I am enjoying the time I have had to try new sports (I may even attempt a TikTok dance by the time this is all over) - such as my new found daily run and my attempt at yoga last week.

5. Action without planning is fatal

I have heard a lot of small business owners talk about how the Covid-19 pandemic has allowed them to sit down and think about their businesses, create new business plans and streamline services. I have heard a lot of talk about making sure their business strategy is aligned with their ideal customer and even redefining who that ideal customer is. In the long run, this will make their businesses even more successful. Understanding your ideal client is one of the first steps to gaining new business and growing as a small business owner.

I am sure there are many other positives to the last five weeks, but these are the ones that stood out the most. Can you list 5 positive things about the lockdown?

Do you have an idea for a blog post for me? Need some help or inspiration?

Send me a message and let me know!

But for now, stay safe. Stay indoors.

A x