"The worst is behind us." These were the remarks of Saudi Aramco President Amin Al-Nasser during a virtual meeting organized recently by the Eastern Province Chamber of Commerce and Industry. I paused a lot of time pondering over this phrase, recollecting where we were four months ago and where we are now, thanks to God Almighty first and then to the leaders of our country. I realized that documenting this phrase could be more significant than the quantitative information that is shared usually by economic analysts and statistical experts. Here, I would like to analyze the phrase socially. This leader who possesses such a powerful language that instills hope and manifests determination, will surely impart a great deal of strength and confidence to his team, society as well as to internal and external beneficiaries. Yes, the basics of a reputable management are to speak with optimism and be part of the business and not to remain outside of it. Yes, the coronavirus pandemic could be the cruelest and most tiring experience for many of us, and in our bid to overcome it we need to adapt psychologically and socially so as to proceed to the next phase. Yes, the worst is behind us, either in terms of our feelings or experiences or in the case of individuals. The good senses and feelings will accompany you even if there are points of convergence. It may guide us to our psychological strength and our higher capability to abandon and transcend this pandemic period. Now we have learned practically how to adjust to live with it, the most important thing is restructuring of life, whether in economic, social, psychological or even emotional terms. There is no harm if we say that quarantine added a new material dimension and awareness to us, which helped us to rid of some of the additional expenses. The forms of acquisition of education and knowledge have transformed and the numbers of training courses have increased. Most people have used the time to attend large number of virtual courses and seminars and this is a positive indication. For others, they were satisfied with meditation and relaxation, and this is also a great thing. We got rid of the clothes of idealism and hard ideas, with emergence of more flexible economic patterns, and that contributed to transformation in social life with a growing trend to get rid of the burdens of compliments, glamor and beauty. The challenge now is to diversify sources of income and work flexibly and intelligently. Perhaps the question now is what will be in front of us, with a fear about the next phase of life. This is quite understandable and there is nothing wrong with a little anxiety, as this is the nature of humans. But rather it is a positive thing to motivate us to work and hope, and be passionate about what you have... Give everything that you see having some sort of value, talk to others and create a network of professional relations. Do not hesitate to stop communicating with those who harm you or do not appreciate you. Be keen to be in the company of people in new places, though memory of spending time with people at places frequently visited will haunt you. Be in the company of those people who are able to see the beauty in you and who always believe that "the next is the best." — The author can be reached on Twitter: @areejaljahani
