AVIANO AIR BASE, Italy -- 2020 was a promising year for me until a global pandemic suddenly revealed itself to the world. Being my first duty station, Aviano Air Base has provided the growth my career has needed. Sadly, a lot of my progression has come to pause due to the virus. I know I’m not the only one who has had a decrease in my goals and self-improvement during this disaster. Therefore, I would like to highlight some of the positive effects that this surreal COVID experience can provide for others and has had on me directly.
When COVID surfaced the world came to a collective pause. With businesses closing and families facing adversity, things failed to show promise. One thing that has been left unaffected is time. COVID restrictions have created endless hours of time for us! We have been gifted with countless additional hours to reflect on and refocus our own goals and create new habits. Personally, I have lost some habits during 2020 and gained new ones. This is the positive side of COVID. I now have goals of eating healthier and reading daily. I have lost my habit of running everyday but that’s part of the process. Finding balance within yourself is the key to mastering your habits which then boosts your well-being. I challenge you to sit down and think, “What can I change?” “What can I improve on?” Doing so will make this pandemic feel like a window of opportunity for self-improvement.
Uniting as one and making sure your Airmen are motivated in this hard time is especially important. Accountability with one another is key. Not just at work but with your loved ones. We can step out of our comfort zone and try new things at home and even in the workplace. For example, instead of doing your normal turnover procedure, try adding on a ten-minute period of ensuring everyone is doing okay and pushing themselves towards their personal goals. A goal sheet in the office is a great start. Do things at home you would never normally do. Challenge yourself by doing 100 push-ups hourly. Small tweaks in our habits help us reach our goals.
This is a time of unity, not separation. But we cannot come together as one until we find ourselves first. I have been focused on myself a lot during COVID. That isn’t a bad thing at all because soon it will reflect on to others and that energy will be shared. I hope someone reading this has been motivated and will prosper. One Team One Fight!