As of this writing, in less than a week’s time, the lockdown will be lifted at the end of the month. In some countries, the lockdown has been extended so we don’t know if the deadline will change by then. For now, I am sure that in one way or the other, your life has been altered by this global health crisis.
Definitely, many things will change after the lockdown and one needs to level up to the changing times.
One thing is certain. Life is short and when you have survived the lockdown and when all this is over, it would be wise to reinvent yourself moving forward.
In my view, 3 areas of one’s life may somehow have been affected during this lockdown as it did on mine. These are spiritual, physical & financial.
Maybe it’s time to reassess them in your life as well.
Here are 3 ways to reinvent your life after the lockdown:
- Be proactive in your faith (Spiritual)
During the lockdown, it was reported that there has been a surge in the usage of online Bibles and in the purchase of Bibles during the global lockdown. Maybe this health crisis is God’s way of making you come to Him and staying sane. Maybe many have sought healing, if not miracles of healing for their loved ones.
While it is not a bad thing to be “spiritually reactive” whenever there’s a need to reach out to God and cry for help, it is better to seek God in your life all the time. This means, putting Him first in your life, and having a personal relationship with God.
The Bible says, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:33)
In case you don’t know it yet, Psalm 91 became viral in social media as a prayer for protection. Read it. Meditate on it. Do not stop praying about it. Recite it as a prayer for protection daily for yourself and for your loved ones. When you have personalized Psalm 91 as a prayer, you can be confident in God’s promises that He will protect you esp. from the plague (Psalm 91:6) and give you a long life and show you your salvation.
If you haven’t done it yet, be glad that you are alive and kicking, and was not affected by the pandemic coronavirus. All the more that you should give thanks to God.
Find a church that regularly gathers for praise & worship; a church that obeys the commands of our Lord Jesus Christ – preaching the Word of God; ministering to the sick; healing the sick in Jesus’ name; helping the poor; evangelizing and making disciples, baptizing those who accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior, just as it is written in the Scriptures (Matthew 28: 19).
- Protect your health (Physical)
If there’s one thing that this health crisis has taught us, we should value our physical well-being. Nobody wants to get the coronavirus. While many have recovered from this disease, the impact that it has created stirred fear in many people’s hearts and minds. It’s like being meted out a death sentence.
If the lockdown will soon be lifted, it may be a sign of relief to some hoping that things would have normalized but it isn’t a cause for joy. At least, not yet. Why? Because a cure has not been discovered yet. And according to Bill Gates, the nearest timetable to come up with a vaccine is 18 months from now. And even if a cure has been found, it will cost billions to produce this vaccine to be used globally. So, when will that vaccine or medicine reach us? Only God knows.
In the meantime, we should not take our health for granted, lockdown or no lockdown.
One of the things I did during the lockdown was finally start my own diet & exercise plan and eat healthier food. To some degree, it worked for me on a personal level. My skin has improved significantly (some rashes disappeared), including my varicose veins, perhaps because blood has been circulating since I started on my own exercise program. The biggest challenge though is to lose a few pounds because eating food during the lockdown is too good to pass up too!
If before you always say that you don’t have time for exercise, I don’t think you will not have enough alibi to say that you don’t have time for this during the lockdown period.
We cannot rest on our laurels, so to speak. Do not be complacent. We still need to observe social distancing; continue to wear masks and gloves, if necessary, when going outside esp. in crowded places, like supermarkets, church, etc.
More importantly, this is a time to rethink your healthcare coverage requirements. Are you covered by your company? Is it enough? Are your dependents covered? There are many affordable healthcare plans such as prepaid cards that you can buy for yourself and your family. If you are not budget constrained, you can get a critical illness plan or even a lifetime inpatient benefit plan.
Send me a private message if you want to know more about the different options I can give you.
Some of you may have been stressed by this experience. Some of you may have a relative who passed away due to the virus. Maybe you are still grieving or coping with the loss which is understandable. It may help also that you read books to comfort or encourage you. The Bible is one book that will not disappoint. God has a way of talking to you when you read the Bible. You can find many verses that will be timely for your life. Reading a book like the Bible will help you heal over time, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.
- Time to reconsider your Financial Plans.
In this section, I will make an exception. This applies only to the middle income class bracket of our society. Why middle income? How do you define middle income I figure that this is a delicate matter to some but still, the importance of this topic should not be neglected and the middle class income is one segment in our society that has the capacity to spend for these things. If I include the poor, it might be insensitive on my part because their monthly income may not be enough for these things. Best to have them in the care of the our government. Attached is a graphic description of the middle income class:
Source: pidsweb.pids.govt.ph
- Build your Emergency Fund
It goes without saying, that you need cash. Cash is king during the lockdown period. Its importance cannot be emphasized enough. While credit card companies extended deadlines for payment, it just delayed payment and it will only pile up when the lockdown is over.
Save for emergency fund that you can use in times like these. For those who are not aware what is an emergency fund – it is cash saved up for rainy days. Just how much should you save up? For starters, compute for your monthly expenses. If your monthly expenses amount to P50,000, for example, then you should save up ideally, 6 months of your monthly expenses to cover for days that you would need it. As of this writing, we have been “quarantined” for 2 months.
This emergency fund is best served if you have a family member who gets sick and needs to be hospitalized. Cash is necessary for you to pay up piling costs because hospitalization nowadays is not cheap.
If you lose a job, this emergency fund will also work for you to cover your monthly expenses. As you can see, thousands have lost jobs during this health crisis, and you cannot afford to lose money at this time when expenses are critically necessary at this time.
If saving up 6 mos. of your present monthly salary is hard, why not save up at least 1 or 2 mos. and work your way toward 6 mos. of saved up cash? After all, you do not time emergency case like this one. Best to be prudent toward the future.
- Learn Digital economy
This has been going on for quite sometime now even before the pandemic. If you haven’t done this, I would suggest that you start doing it now. This will become the “new normal” for the majority after the lockdown. First off, what are the options?
Digital Banking
Bank online. Save online. Transfer funds online. Pay your bills online. Invest online. Trade online.
While we don’t have a financial crisis, this global health crisis caused the global economy to stop. The cause effect is that global markets, including the local ones, have been badly disrupted. Consider investing for the long term. Why not do cost averaging since we have seen time and again that after this pandemic is over, the market will rebound. And only the brave and prudent ones will emerge the winner from this period. You don’t wait until the gains are back. Remember, this too shall pass and when you realize that the market is going up again, it may be too late for you to jump in.
The stock market index is somewhere around 5000 when it has reached its highest levels to 9000 before. Think of the difference. If you do not know how to trade or invest in the stock market, it is best to tap your trusted Financial Advisor to help you make your money work hard for you.
Send me a private message if you want to invest some of your extra money for the long term so we can work it out for you.
Online Purchases
Buy groceries online and have it delivered to your home. Buy your favorite food and drinks online like pizza, frozen foods, cakes, etc. Buy your wants and needs online. It can range from your favorite gadgets, home essentials, books, etc.
- Purchase Insurance and Healthcare plans online
The lockdown effect has spurred many companies to train their sellers, advisors to meet up with their clients virtually. There have been cases where even “walk in” clients, meaning a person with no relationship at all, with the seller or advisor chose to respond to the seller’s ad, and in the process was able to secure himself/herself or his/her family for the much needed insurance coverage or healthcare coverage.
The lockdown effect also caused many people to rethink their priorities. Now, they realized the importance of preparing for the unexpected ie., you don’t know when you will get sick; accidents can happen; you don’t know if you will be infected by the deadly virus – things like these make you think that you want to prepared for, for any eventuality.
If you don’t know anyone or would want to know what options to choose from, please send me a private message so we can work it out from there.
One thing I learned during the lockdown period is that you have to be creative with the use of your time. Make the most of it by using your time wisely. It’s not too late to plan now. You still have more than 1 week to go, or maybe more (if the lockdown will be extended again as of this writing). So, let’s revisit our finances since the “new normal” will be here after this pandemic.
In closing, time is of the essence. We realize at this time that life is short. At any time, your life or your loved one’s life can be taken away. It is best that we have the wisdom to make the most of our time. Spend it wisely.
Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom. – Psalm 90:12
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