As I usher in a new year, I wanted to spend some time reflecting on the year 2020.
Every year as the new year approaches, my soul gets quiet as I think about all that has happened over the 12 months. Time feels like an eternity but when you look back at the year, it always seems to fly, doesn’t it?
One year ago, as I reflected on 2019, I wrote, “Here’s to a new year of keeping my heart open to everything and attached to nothing fleeting. .”
Little did I know how much 2020 would challenge me to do that.
This past year of 2020 was one that will live on in the history books. The year of the Coronavirus-19 pandemic, the year we lost so many loved ones, the year many businesses shut down, the year George Floyd was senselessly murdered and caught on video, the year Black Lives Matter stirred a nationwide movement, the year Tik Tok gained steam and turned half the population into dance machines, the year people started working from home, and the year schools went virtual. It was a year of challenge, heartbreak, growth, community, loss, death, unity, and so much more.
I don’t think I could ever sum it up in words nor have I fully digested it, but reflecting on the year 2020 has helped me to make more sense of it. I know that as we start this new year 2021, we go into it with much of the same circumstances. Yet there’s a new sense of hope, a determination to do better, be better. So I will share with you 5 lessons I personally learned this year that I will carry with me into the new year.
5 lessons I learned through
reflecting on the year 2020
1. Nothing lasts forever.
If there’s anything I’ve learned, it’s that nothing under the sun lasts forever. Just like in Ecclesiastes. The good times, the bad times, they both come and they go.
So when times are good, cherish them. Make the most of the moment and the people, focus on the present, and be all there.
And when the times are bad, stay grounded. Remember that this too, won’t last. Hold on to hope, and also be all there. Because it’s often in the bad times that you’re challenged beyond what you think you are capable of, and you grow the most.
2. You have the power to change.
You can’t change your past, but you can certainly change your trajectory and future. Sure, there are circumstances beyond your control. Like what you were born into and pretty much all of 2020. But you have the power to adapt, the power to create, the power to choose what you do next.
Don’t waste that opportunity and gift.
3. It’s okay to slow down.
We live in a hustle culture where being busy is a badge of honor. We measure success by the number of accomplishments achieved. The dollars in our bank accounts. Or the amount of wealth and things we accomplish.
But what if we have it wrong? What if this go-go-go mentality is making us miss out on the joys of life? This year has forced so many of us to slow down and take a step back. To reconnect with our families. To stay home. To sit with our own thoughts. To pick up a new hobby. To read a book.
It’s been amazing to see all the passion, clarity, and joy that has been born out of this season.
Challenge yourself to slow down every once in a while. To focus on what’s truly important, to be present with the people you’re with, to enjoy the little things, to not let life pass you by while you hustle and work.
4. Mindset matters.
What you think and say to yourself matters.
I used to talk down to myself and set limits for myself, but this did so much damage. Over the years, I started to truly believe the things I thought and inevitably played into the role I believed. It’s been a wild ride of undoing, but I’m learning that what we feel, we attract.
So believe in yourself, and believe there is good out there for you. Do good, feel good, and attract good.
5. It takes a community.
I’m an introvert by nature, but I recognize the value of community. Despite the weight of the year, I saw so many triumphs that happened because of people coming together. When I had my own rough patches, the encouragement from the community kept me going. Even on a larger scale, the places where people came together for the good of all have seen the most success with kicking the virus.
Lean on your community. Be there for your community. Care about people and foster relationships because when everything else is hitting the fan, they will help carry you through it.
Have you been reflecting on the year 2020? What lessons are you taking with you into 2021?