Every spring, I get rejuvenated.
In the northern latitudes, people notice when the “harshness” of winter fades. In this climate, when the snow melts and warmer weather arrives, you feel inspired. No matter how down you felt during winter, spring brings magic. Your dreams grow bigger, your vision grows clearer, and every goal becomes more attainable.
And this spring may be the most powerful you ever experience.
Why?
Because this has been one of the toughest winters of our time thanks to the added stress and isolation of the pandemic. Think about it: Most of us rarely leave the house these days because we’re all working from home. When we do leave the house, most of us rarely hang out with other people. When we do have the good fortune to see others, it’s usually at the supermarket, or at work, and always with masks covering our faces. Worse, as a result of the masks, it’s harder to talk and understand each other, and worst of all, we have been suffering from a huge smile deficit for more than a year now.
Think about that last point: Most of us haven’t seen smiles very often over these past 12 months, and that has a real effect on our moods.
The feeling that we get when someone smiles at us is palpable. Even when we don’t know the person. Those pleasant interactions with strangers at the grocery store tell us the world is a safe and pleasant place. But over these past 12 months, we’ve heard that strangers are dangerous, and we need to stay away.
And those smiles we once shared freely? When we’ve needed them the most, we haven’t been able to see them.
Sure, in some states, such as Florida, and perhaps Texas, mask wearing hasn’t been as pronounced. Nonetheless, life has been very different everywhere these past 12 months. That’s added an emotional and psychological weight on us, whether we realize it or not.
And now is the season for that weight to lift.
Despite everything, these next 12 weeks are worth getting excited about. It’s time to put together bold plans based on big visions and forge ahead with great hope. Don’t let this year of pandemic winter keep you down.
Ever since I graduated college, with the arrival of every spring, I would always say to myself, “This is the summer when everything comes together!” That bountiful summer never quite arrives precisely as I envision it. But this year, this summer, summer 2021, I am starting to feel it like never before.
Make it happen. Don’t give up. Don’t stay depressed. If you lost your job, or if your world tour got canceled, get over it and make a new plan. If you lost that promotion, create the plan to find a replacement position. Or if you have just been going stir crazy being stuck inside with nothing to do but scroll and stream, take heart—summer has returned.
