What is the Best Possible Outcome?
What is the best possible thing that might happen in your life because of living through the COVID-19 pandemic? It’s an interesting question. Given the challenges we’ve all been facing, it’s one you may not have considered—but doing so is worthwhile.
Pondering this question, and giving it the space it needs, requires opening up. Opening up to possibilities at a time when society is swirling with fear is an incredibly vulnerable and courageous thing to do. Human nature compels us to draw in, to hunker down, to protect ourselves, to close off, even to push harder. But at what cost? Holding ourselves for a prolonged period in what I call ‘protecting mode’ hurts. It makes our bodies feel tense and rigid. It locks us into a narrow mind frame. It cuts us off from people we care about and who care about us. It drains our energy and creativity. It leaves us feeling irritable and edgy.
Though it’s normal to feel drawn to staying in a protective space right now, consider what it would be like to do the opposite. What if you could be curious, open to learning, allow yourself time to do what you need to take care of yourself—so that you feel good in your body, calm in your mind, and peace in your heart? What if you could trust a bit more deeply in your inner compass and let it lead you to living your life in flow, in alignment with your values and following your innermost desires?
That could be a powerful best possible thing that could happen because of living through this pandemic. How is it done? First, recognize that we all have an innate power to choose our response at any moment. We just need present time awareness and appropriate motivation to make a different choice—now. We don’t need to dwell in acknowledgement of our previous patterns or conditioned, typical responses. We don’t need to worry about what’s going to happen in a future beyond our control. We just need to be aware of the choices we make in each given moment, and then ask ourselves, is this choice leading me towards the best possible outcome?
We have internal cues that help us answer that question. Listening to the felt sense in our bodies, noticing the tensing of muscles, rapidly changing thoughts, and shallowness of breath are internal cues that let us know we’re closing off, rather than opening up. We can use these guideposts to encourage us to make different choices when we open up enough to notice them. We can choose to take small steps, one at a time, in the direction of a better outcome.
What is the best possible thing that could happen in your life as a response to living through the COVID-19 pandemic? The possibilities are endless. Here are a few to start pondering:
• Finally learn to let go of stress and live in the moment
• Create a habit of regular exercise—something that brings you joy
• Feed yourself and your loved ones nourishing, whole foods and savor mealtimes
• Engage in acts of selfless service, donate your time to causes you care about
• Learn something new (language, music, art, history, crafts...)
• Spend time in nature and let that guide you in small steps towards conservation
• Rest and sleep more deeply
Enjoy exploring the best possible things that will happen in your life when you choose to orient yourself in the direction of wide-open possibilities.