How to be Great During a Pandemic

How do we embrace greatness while we’re stuck at home, stressed out, and watching the world fall apart around us?

We have to remember what greatness is all about.

First and most important, greatness is rooted in love. Right now, some of us have more time than ever before to accomplish more that we ever have before. Some of us don’t. But if your extra hustle these days isn’t based in love—in God’s great love for you, in your outpouring of love back to him, and an overflow of love for the people around you—all your doing right now is missing something.

Yes, it’s good to use this time well: to draw, to exercise, to write a symphony if you can. But greatness is less about what you accomplish and more about the landscape you create within your soul.

Love is literally what it’s all about.

But before you dismiss me as hippy-dippy, out of touch, or lacking practicality, let’s get into the practicals. I recommend that you choose one or two from the following list and commit to doing them daily for at least a week (but a month is better if you can swing it).

One: Create a Routine

This one may seem a little obvious, but it’s one of the most important. It should also not be considered optional, but because I told you to pick among this list, I’m not going to insist that you do this one. But hear me when I say: this one should really not be optional.

Create a daily routine for yourself. Pick a consistent time to wake up every day, take a shower and get dressed, and try to include some of the same activities consistently each week:

• something that stretches you (like a new hobby),
• something that grounds you (like daily prayer, devotional time, reading scripture, etc.),
• something that nourishes you (like cooking a healthy meal or two, going for a walk outside, or drinking three big cups of water a day), and
• something that relaxes you (like taking a bath, reading for pleasure, coloring, watching Netflix for an hour—just one hour!—per day).

Doing this will help you create balance between work and downtime, especially if you’re working from home. It’ll also be really helpful for you because it’ll keep you from falling into a Netflix oblivion every day.

My friend Caitlin calls her daily routine her “resistance list,” because it includes things she knows are good for her but which she naturally resists. This is clever but also pretty badass because her “resistance list” is also like her own little rebellion against the doldrums of quarantine. (I’ve always wanted to be part of a rebellion. This is my chance!)

The really wonderful thing about a routine is that establishing one helps you take care of yourself and it equips you to serve others around you well. That kind of selfless living is key in surrendering for greatness.

Two: Start a Gratitude Journal

Every day, write down five things you’re grateful for. They can be big or small, even silly—but in order to make it on your list, you have to be grateful for them. Your morning coffee counts. Your IRS stimulus check definitely counts. But sometimes, so do minor difficulties or annoyances, because of the fruit they bear.

Just be mindful that your daily Gratitude List doesn’t sneak off and become your secret Gripe List because you’re trying to trick yourself into being grateful. It’s okay for things to be hard right now. Not everything gets to make it into your Gratitude Journal. But by keeping track of what you’re truly grateful for, it will help keep the hard things in perspective and remind you that it isn’t all struggle right now.

Three: Take a Daily Prayer Walk

Take a walk around your neighborhood or your apartment complex and pray for your neighbors. Pray for your neighborhood. Pray for people you know and people you don’t. Pray for their needs, their worries, their hopes, dreams, and intentions. Ask God to bless the people who live with you and around you. Pray for their hearts to be opened to him in new ways during this time. Pray that they come to know him. Pray for the Holy Spirit to come and dwell in your neighborhood in a new and special way.

You don’t have to be loud about it—to outsiders, you’ll just look like you’re out for a daily stroll. But you’ll know that this seemingly solitary activity is bringing on a wave of graces for everyone around you. And that’s pretty cool.

Four: Give Back in a Meaningful Way

Whether it’s donating blood, making food for a local soup kitchen, or fostering a pet from a local animal shelter, there are so many ways you can help someone else during this crazy storm. This practical step is one of my favorites because it will surely remind you that this crisis is not about you. This crisis—for some of us—is a wonderful time to clean out closets and get rid of a lot of extra stuff we’ve accumulated over the years. But your commitment to “give back in a meaningful way” isn’t fulfilled if drop off your donation of unwanted stuff at a Goodwill that’s already drowning in everyone else’s donations of unwanted stuff. That’s why it’s crucial to do some research. Make sure your good deed fills an actual need. It doesn’t count as “giving back” if your gift actually becomes a burden.

Five: Stop Reading the News (or, Set More Boundaries)

I think one of the best ways to surrender for greatness at any time, but especially now, is to stop reading the news. Or at the very least, read the news less. What I’m saying is: set some boundaries and set yourself free. We’re up in each other’s grill right now, because we’re all home and we’re all bored and we’re all a least a little stressed out. This is when boundaries are awesome. Whether it’s a boundary of self-discipline (like limiting the number of times you check CNN, Fox News, or Facebook in a day), or boundaries you lovingly communicate with others (like only being available for Zoom calls, texts, and phone calls between 4:00 and 7:00 pm every day), boundaries help you stay in your lane, get your work done, and help you stay grateful (and sane!) through it all.

Remember: you don’t have to do all of these–pick one or two you’re going to work on this week, incorporate them into your daily life, and take one step at a time. That’s all it takes to be great anyway.

Tell me in the comments below which one or two practicals you’re trying this week, and how it goes for you!