2020 Lessons to Take into 2021
If you had told me what 2020 would bring while I was sitting in this chair back in January, I would have looked at you with a raised eyebrow. This photo was taken on the last day of a three day getaway with a photographer friend from Florida, where we soaked in the starry skies and silence, cooked in our Airbnb, and took photos for hours to tap into our creativity. I remember looking out at the openness of Joshua Tree, thinking about what the year would bring. I knew at that point that I would be giving up the apartment I had loved over the past 7 years and moving back home. I knew I was only 15 months into building this business, and wondering how I could run it from a 10×12 room. Little did I know that would be just the tip of the iceberg of what we would have to grapple with in 2020. Nevertheless, I learned some valuable lessons that I will carry with me into this coming year, and I definitely want to remember what came out of this year.
Trust your gut. A run in with an MLM touting lady at the grocery store sealed that lesson in reaaaal quick.
Family time is fleeting – relish it while you have it. Like so many, our family has dealt with COVID and other health issues, hospital stays, and loss, so make sure you say whatever it is you want to say before you can’t. I will never be able to fully comprehend how God aligned everything to get me back with my parents before I could have potentially not seen them for months on end, but I will be forever grateful that it happened the way that it did.
How quickly you can adjust determines if you sink or swim. I’m not one of those people who can pivot on a moment’s notice – I need time to understand what’s happening before making a move. I wouldn’t do so hot on the Amazing Race, I can already tell you that. But this year has made it essential for so many of us to pivot, grow, and become multi-disciplinary business owners. Adding on graphics and content writing to my services kept me afloat in the critical second year of building a business, since I could work from home with no issue. So so grateful for all of the clients that trusted me with their brands this past year – you have no idea how much I needed you as much as you think you needed me.
Patience. Patience. More patience. My lessons and your lessons come with no timeline. Each situation really teaches you something. I’m learning to really internalize that and stop following so many people on social media so I can focus on what I can offer and create based on my own experiences.
Investing in specialists is the most important investment in yourself. Before shutdown, I finally signed up for kickboxing like I always told myself I would try. I loved it, and two weeks in, the world stopped. I ended up joining a program around mindset and real, simple food shortly into quarantine, and revitalized my cooking enjoyment while kickboxing on Zoom. Unfortunately, my gym shut their doors permanently in the fall, but that meant I could purchase a bag for the yard and get back into what I loved back in March. Throughout the year, I found again and again that I learned the most and focused the most when specialists were involved in the learning process, and I definitely will carry that into 2021. I definitely need to update this list I made last year too!
What lessons have you taken from 2020 that you will carry into the new year? Anything that surprised you about yourself, and what you’re capable or not capable of doing? These conversations are so hard to have with others, not to mention ourselves. It’s hard but that honesty cracks something open in you that you can’t quite put back together. But I don’t think you’re meant to..let the light seep in just a little bit and uncover things you never knew were there.
