Tom Brady of the New England Patriots, NFL, gave us an inspirational Playoff quote on Jan. 6, 2016, when he said, “I didn’t come this far to only come this far.”  And this principle applies to each and every one of us when we personalize it to our lives as, “We didn’t come this far to only come this far.”

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand the gravity of the impact on our lives of the coronavirus and the resulting world-wide pandemic. There have been tremendous losses to individuals, families, countries, and the entire world. But the legacy of this experience will undoubtedly include a significance that will change our lives and our future.

When mankind is confronted with its own mortality, there seems to be a tendency to reevaluate who we are and where we’re going. We’re almost forced into reexamining our philosophy of life, the principles we believe in, and the priorities that will determine how we move into the next phase of our development. Specifically, while we are incapable of making this coronavirus nonexistent, we have a choice in the way we manage the related concerns. 

The process of choosing is empowering, even in the face of the worldwide tragedies that have developed. Choosing is much more than deciding on a particular course. It unifies our might, mind, and spirit. Choosing does not create some kind of immunity from the problem, but it clarifies a course of action that helps us to move from a victim state of mind to one of being a victor. Very simply, since motion cures emotion, when we choose a different course of life-management techniques, we redefine who we are. And even though that definition may be different than our previous choices, it’s never too late to be what we might have been.

So, what are we to do? We start from where we are. We’ve learned valuable lessons from all that we’ve been through in the past. And based upon this reality, we can combine our own insights with the recommendations from the experts, and we can plan a course for the future. When we examine our best options and alternatives, we can make a plan to move forward, and then implement that plan. In essence, since doing something is better than doing nothing, we can rely on what we’ve learned and we can do all that needs to be done.  

Don’t wait for everything to be perfect before engaging. Minor course corrections can be made along this journey, but deciding “to do or not to do” is a powerful mindset. We can wait or we can create!  We can be bold or we can hesitate. Embrace your uncertainty and grow beyond it. We can be bystanders, or we can be more of who we really are. We can’t afford to define ourselves by our weakest parts. The most interesting result of this period of worldwide transformation will be the realization that our self-definition will determine our future.    

John Waterbury is a retired Clinical Mental Health Counselor who has lived in Utah since 1984 when he moved to Bountiful with his wife and four children. Since then, he has written a weekly column for several years for the Davis County Clipper titled “The Dear John Letters” which was also used throughout the intermountain West focusing on addiction and mental health problems. This new column will focus on mental health and life management issues.  λ