Covid-19; The Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me…. ?

Yesterday was like any typical day - I rolled out of bed at 6:00 AM and went for my morning walk. As the sun rose and the sky filled with beautiful pink and purple hues, the thought, “Covid was the best thing that has ever happened to me.” entered my head. Where did this come from? I had to stop for a minute and sort my thoughts. The more I thought about it, the more things I was able to categorize as blessings that have come from the pandemic.

[To be clear, I’ve had Covid 3 times since 2020 and it does suck. I have friends who suffered severe issues after getting it, and I know people who have died from it. It’s not fun or a good thing. But, in my realm - there have been immense positives that arose from the whole ordeal.] Have you really stopped to think about how your life is different now than it was 4 years ago?

Covid Benefit #1

Work from home - Without a doubt, the top of the list benefit from the pandemic has to be working from home. I was actually out sick for a week and came into the office in mid March 2020 and learned the office would be shutting down the next day and we’d all be working from home. When this all started I remember being a little anxious about what the future would hold in terms of this disease. But all I knew at the time was - I’d be working from home for the foreseeable future. Fast forward 4.5 years - I’m still working from home full-time. The biggest benefits from this have been:

1. Getting to spend more time with my family every day.

2. Not having to deal with a 1.5-2 hour commute every day, saving tons of time, gas cost, and miles on my car

3. A flexible work schedule and the ability to work from anywhere during the day (home, coffee shop, restaurant etc)

4. When I was under the weather, didn’t have to use Sick Leave because I was at home and could work remotely. I think I’ve only taken maybe 4 sick days in the past 4.5 years.

5. I already worked a compressed schedule so every other Friday I have a 3-day weekend. This was literally like, every day was a vacation day. I rarely took time off for the first 2 years.

6. I found I was just happier and overall in a better mood being at home with my kids, dog, and cat.

Let’s be clear, I have fun house with all my main hobbies (photography, piano/guitar, and video games) under 1 roof, and live in a great area with walking trails and a park too.

Covid Benefit #2

Meeting my girlfriend - If I hadn’t been working from home, I doubt this ever would have happened. The pandemic shut down my favorite photography conference in 2020. So in the summer I decided to do my own mini-version here locally. I had invited quite a few photographers and models out in July 2020 and she was there. and the rest is history.

1. She gets me and my nerdiness

2. She’s fun and brings adventure to the equation to my non-adventure side.

3. She’s loves me and Brayden and Izzy (and Marleigh r.i.p.)

4. We have fun shooting and working together.

5. We love traveling together.

Covid Benefit #3

Introducing Amelia - This little bundle of joy was born at the end of 2021 and is actually probably the #1 best thing that has happened since Covid. We were surprised for sure and I wasn’t too sure how I’d handle having a little one in my mid-40’s - but it has turned out better than I ever imagined and am thankful we were blessed with such an amazing child. She’s funny, spunky, and determined for sure. She’s already a go-getter and knows what she wants. She is keeping me young because I have to go to the gym every day to make sure I have enough energy to keep up with her. I think she’s helped Brayden as well because now he has to help me with her and such during the day and he’s learning what it’s like to have a little sister. Ha!

Covid Benefit #4

Money money money! - Since I had so much extra time on my hands, I started doing a bunch of side hustles like food delivery, affiliate marketing, and print on demand. Each venture made me extra money every month that I was able to save and invest.

The investing stuff really took off when one day YouTube showed me a suggested video on “High Yield Dividend Investing” which I had not heard of before. Over time, I watched more and more videos on this topic and became hooked. I started investing in Covered Call ETFs, REITs, and BDCs - each month watching more money just come rolling in from these investments.

Fast forward to April 2024 and I began trading options and even more money just came rolling in. I learned that trading options is the equivalent of printing your own money every day. I never learned about any of this kind of stuff before and it has been life changing. You always hear “Let your money work for you” - and this is how it’s done.

If you feel stuck in the rat race, I highly encourage you to start learning about growth and income investing using these kinds of asset classes. Things will start slow, but over time, you’ll be making more money from your investments than your day job.

To sum it up, I’ve really been overly blessed by the entire Covid event. While it was a tragic event that negatively affected the lives of everyone, I hope you can find something positive in your own life that has come from it. Moving forward, always look for the positive, even in the negative. Your life will be a lot better!