I have been sitting at home during this pandemic, isolated, and waiting for the world to restart. Three months of not working, all malls and stores closed, and nowhere to really go. The most common theme among my social group, “I’m bored.” However, one big detail has been overlooked. Welcome to the opportunity of a lifetime.

I have taken the opposite approach to this whole viral situation. Has anyone ever said to you, “I want to start a new hobby…” or, “I have this dream idea, but I do not have the time.”

In the midst of the circumstances we are in, time has been liberated from any restrictions. In the duration of my isolation, I have taken on many feats. Some I started quite some time ago. Others were ideas that had seedlings, but no nourishment. As soon as I heard the words “we are closing,” I began doing homework. I figured, “I do not have the time,” is no longer a legitimate excuse. This has been the time to crack open the books to further my process of certifications (personal trainer), learn new techniques to better my skills in my profession as a musician (production), and pick up that hobby I have been putting off (ultra distance running training). All of these skills require a dedication of time that was rare in my life due to the fact I had multiple jobs.

This opportunity seems to come around once every one hundred years. 1917 had a pandemic that seized human life and stalled the world. Here is 2020 and the world has stopped. I understand that hardships have fallen on many. I get that finances have taken a massive hit. I am no different. However, many have become couch potatoes. If you have been putting off that project at home of installing that new light fixture or clearing out the garden, this is the time. The world has turned from consuming your every moment, to you consuming the world and growing in ways you only dreamed of.

This is your time to shine. If this time off has been spent completely worrying about work, meanwhile sitting binging that TV series, you have missed out on opportunity. However, there is still time to jump off the couch and ride the bucking bronco of life. Learn a new skill, keep up with your new year’s resolutions, or simply read more. Take this bull by the horns because this chance comes only once in many lifetimes.

This is the opportunity many want and complain they do not have. What are you going to do with it?