A short motivational video by Robin Sharma reflecting on historical pandemics and the potential positive outcomes of the COVID-19 crisis. Sharma highlights public-health advances (germ theory, sanitation, vaccines), behavioral shifts (walking, meditation, solitude, slower pace), growth of telecommuting, and environmental benefits, urging viewers to look for opportunities for personal and societal improvement.
Chapters
Hi, it's Robin Sharma, and I hope you and your family are safe and healthy and finding things to be grateful for amid the challenges we face in our society and on the planet right now. What I wanted to do is I've been reading a lot about past plagues like the bubonic plague and the influenza epidemic, I believe, in the late 19 teens. And I wanted to just walk you through some of the benefits that I've read about from those past pandemics. First is germ theory. Second is it gave us urban sanitization hundreds of years ago. We would think nothing of mixing sewer water with drinking water. Believe it or not, it gave us the idea of washing our hands to disinfect against disease. The past traumas of pandemics also gave us vaccines and new ways of being and other scientific developments. I think right now what we're seeing is because of COVID 19, people are starting to realize the beauty of long evening walks. And people are learning to meditate they may never have meditated before and realizing all the health benefits and spiritual benefits and joy benefits as a result of that. We're also learning the power of a slower pace, being more deliberate, being more reflective, not living our lives, being busy, being busy. Creativity for a lot of people is going up. Someone sent me a piece on the monk who sold his Ferrari that was posted on Thrive Global. And I wrote that book 20 years ago. But it reminded me back then, I was talking about the power of solitude to fuel creativity and a sense of inner peace. I think it's perhaps more important than ever before finding time to be alone. So you confront your deepest imagination and your highest ideals. Telecommuting is starting to grow. I mean, my team and I have been using Zoom and Skype and that for a decade, I think about a decade. Yeah. And now people are turning onto it as never before. And I was delighted to see what that's doing to the environment and how it's reducing the carbon footprint. People are flying less and that's also releasing less emissions. I read an incredibly inspiring article about a town in India that after 10 years can actually see their view of the Himalayas because there's less pollution, factories are being put on pause, and that's helping the environment as well. So, you know, if you look at the greatest leaders and if you look at the finest entrepreneurs and if you study the most heroic artists, these people all had the ability to look for opportunity and the benefits in the face of adversity. And we're all suffering right now when we see what's happening to good people who are falling ill. And we're all feeling the change of not being able to do some of the things we took for granted before. What I encourage you to do with a clear mind and a brave heart. Look for the benefits. Ask yourself, how can I leverage this time that we're experiencing to grow as a human being? Because all battles begin within by winning the battle within, is what I really mean to say. And how can I use this time to grow in my creativity, to deepen my family connections, to build an even more fulfilling lifestyle, and to serve the people I serve? If you're in business, even better. And to make the planet a better place. After this clears, we're going to have an even better society, and I'm really excited for what's coming. I send you lots of love and great respect and keep moving forward.
