Around Indianapolis, IN., there is an interstate known as 465 or “the Loop”. Basically, a giant interstate circling the city, allowing you to get to different suburbs or highways without going directly through the city. Sounds great, right? Quick and efficient. HA! Think again. For whatever reason, it’s always busy and more times than not, you find yourself stuck in a standstill. Maybe it’s not 465 for you. Maybe it’s another highway with no real stop sign or light, yet we find ourselves sitting in standstill traffic, when for all intents and purposes we should never stop moving.
Oddly, the imagery works perfectly for our personal lives. We’ve been stuck in this ‘new normal’ for months now and it seems our world is full of standstills. Normally there would be times where we’d typically be full throttle but stuck at a snail’s pace, if moving at all. COVID-19 and quarantine has essentially left us all feeling stuck in one giant standstill. Maybe you were approaching graduation from college, ready to start your career, or move to a new city, and BOOM!, COVID-19. Or you were preparing for your wedding and you have to push it back and readjust plans. Maybe that family trip you look forward to every year got cancelled because of travel bans. Or maybe, like myself, in a relationally driven job, stuck working from home which presents a new set of challenges on its own.
The times we are living in can feel like a standstill, creating a ripple effect of stagnant moments in our lives. Creating a world that’s hindering you from growth, promotion, and movement in life. So what do we do? How do we grow? Develop new skills or strengths? Advance in our career or in life?
We are all wondering that and feeling the burden that comes with those questions. But I think there is a huge opportunity in the standstill to look inwardly and move. Going back to the interstate – when stuck in the standstill, we feel frustrated, angry, we start looking for excuses to make bad driving decisions, yell at someone who cuts us off. We all feel it. What if we changed our perspective of the standstill? Stuck in traffic, nowhere to go… Maybe you turn on a podcast you’ve been trying to finish, call a friend and talk life, get caught up on work calls, etc. Though these things can look like “things to do”, they shift our perspective of the negative mindset that the standstill is causing. So can’t we do the same thing in our daily lives when we feel stuck? Instead of focusing on all the negatives COVID19 and quarantine have presented, use this time to develop growth for yourself or work to shift your perspective from negative to opportunistic. We all wish we had more time and less responsibilities, right? That we didn’t have so many commitments and could get more done? Now’s your opportunity.
Maybe it’s picking up that book that’s become more of a dust collector than an opportunity. You facetime your friends and start up a game of Quiplash (for those that don’t know… look it up, you’ll thank me later). Maybe you use your free time to pick up a new hobby: baking, art, writing, etc. It could be jumpstarting your fitness with at home workouts. A big thing for me has been writing and reading. All of these things can help us look inwardly at the state of our heart and mind and can, in a way, be an accountability measure to our development, even when it feels like there’s no growth to be had. Though some of these may be used as a way to take your mind off of things, it doesn’t have to be that surface level. Reading a book, picking up a new hobby could lead to a new purpose or passion, starting up virtual games with friends can be a way of being intentional with your relationships. Maybe a distraction from the world is exactly what you needed and the down time allows for a reset.
As an extrovert and a people person, personally, quarantine and COVID has been especially difficult, not knowing how to handle the lack of interaction and exposure. Not being able to be out and about or go to the gym made me feel stagnant, until I discovered resources for at home workouts. Being a Christian man, I’ve struggled to be strong in my faith. My routine of podcasts/sermons on the drive to work has been taken away; I couldn’t physically go to church. Sure, some things have started to open up more, but there are still things in place that leave us feeling stuck; whether it’s mask mandates or stipulations in restaurants. One thing that was huge early on during quarantine for me was reading. During quarantined have read two amazing books – Relationship Goals by Michael Todd and Wild at Heart by John Eldredge during quarantine and they have given me tools for growth I didn’t know existed. I know… only two books – not that impressive, but it’s a big step for me. I am a words person and the words of these books spoke volumes to me. I have grown internally to be more confident in myself, the work I am doing, the things I am passionate about and have begun pursuing things I always said I wanted to do. And the best part, I found purpose in things I didn’t know I wanted to do – this blog itself is a culmination of some of the growth I have experienced while stuck in the standstill.
Romans 12:2 says, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…”. There is so much power in this. This instruction is God saying we as humans are not in control. No matter what life throws at us, no matter the state we are in, no matter the pandemic affecting our society, God is in control. We can fixate our minds and hearts on the tasks in front of us, or use this time to forge a new path and pursue that with optimism. But don’t let the worldly problems be a deterrent or distraction. As the age old saying goes, “when the going gets tough, the tough get going.” Don’t let COVID and quarantine knock you down or keep you from growing. Shift your perspective from stuck to opportunity.
My hope is that you find encouragement in this. Pursue those things you feel passionate about and the ways you feel you can grow. Pick up a book. Try out that new recipe that you saw on instagram, learn a TikTok dance. Find a new hobby. The standstill does not have to leave us stuck. Whatever it is, it will create space for growth and perseverance to move when you feel stationary. We can use it for our good. It’s not easy, especially right now, but there is empowerment in overcoming the adversity that we are living in and persevering through the unique times we are living in.
WORKOUT
Feeling stagnant? Stuck at home? Little space for movement? This workout is designed for exactly that. Possible to do just about anywhere and grow to shape the best version of yourself.
Set-up: Go through each block 3x – 40/20 Tabata set (40sec work / 20sec rest)
Block 1 (warmup):
-High Knees
-Butt Kickers
-Air Squats
Block 2:
-Stationary Forward Lunge (alternating leg)
-Push-ups
-Squat jumps
Block 3:
-Kneeling to standing Get-up (alternating leg)
-Alternating Hand to elbow plank
-Burpees
Block 4:
-Glute Bridge (Alternating each leg)
-Sit-ups
-Mountain Climbers
Cool Down/Stretch
Hammer and Anvil 