In 2019, when the pandemic hit, my world—like many others’—slowed down. I stopped going to work, attending classes, going to the gym, and socialising. Life felt uncertain, but instead of turning to TV or movies all day (as some friends did), I made a different choice.
I decided to focus on self-development.
What I Committed to During the Pandemic
Here are some of the things I decided to do instead of sitting still:
- Practised ice hockey shooting regularly
- Took a mental health course
- Started waking up at 5 am
- Began journaling and writing daily reflections
- Gave up alcohol so I could stay focused on study
- Enrolled in a real estate course (something I’d always wanted to try)
- Took an advanced English course to improve my language skills
- Learned about:
- Productivity
- Compounding income
- Time management
- CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy)
- NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming)
- Introduction to psychology
At the time, I often questioned myself:
- “Am I on the right track?”
- “Am I just wasting my energy and time?”
I didn’t see immediate results. But I kept going—because I genuinely enjoyed the journey.
The Important Realisation
Even without quick results, I stayed on track. Why?
- I truly enjoyed the process.
- I felt good about learning and growing.
- I didn’t worry too much about the outcome—I just focused on doing my best each day.
Now it’s 2025. Looking back, I can see how far I’ve come.
How I’ve Grown Since 2019
Here are some ways I’ve changed and improved since that decision in 2019:
- Gained knowledge in the mental health field
- Completed a real estate course (and learned it wasn’t the right path for me)
- Improved my ice hockey shooting skills, which led me to coaching children
- Wake up around 5 am most days (I used to track my wake-up time daily)
- Still journal regularly, which helps me reflect and practice gratitude
- No longer crave alcohol unless I’m very hungry (I now eat regularly to avoid this)
- Learned and now automatically use CBT and NLP tools—they’ve become habits
- Recognise parts of the human brain from a diagram I still keep on my board
- Manage my time by prioritising important tasks first
Who I Am Today
Compared to who I was in 2019, I now feel:
- Stronger
- Wiser
- Calmer
- More relaxed
- More flexible
- Quieter (in a good way)
- More positive
- More confident
I haven’t completely stopped drinking beer, but I’ve cut back a lot. And I’m proud of that too. 🙂
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