Final Thoughts on 2020
It's always a good practice to reflect back on where you've been and then evaluate where you want to go.
It’s difficult to sum up an entire year in a single post, especially with one as unpredictable as last year! How can we even begin to discuss the enormous challenges we all faced? Despite the enormity of the situation, I need to journal my final thoughts on 2020 for future reflection.
There were hardships.
Without a shadow of a doubt, we all faced hardships and painful experiences. A couple of our friends passed away this year, and we had to say goodbye to our best friend, Bandit. We watched as other friends lost their own family members or struggled to make ends meet due to COVID-19. The political shit show and volatile sentiments of this country certainly didn’t help.
I think we could all agree that 2020 will be memorable in many ways. It was definitely one of the ugliest times in history, as far as I can remember.
To all of you who endured so much, my heart goes out to you.
There were blessings.
As Donetta said in her post, there were tremendous blessings last year as well. We sold our house, got out of debt, and achieved our dream of traveling full-time. I turned 50 and had a fantastic birthday. We started hiking, business was excellent, and we lost a lot of weight by adopting a keto lifestyle.
In short, 2020 was also memorable in a different way and one of the best years we’ve ever had in our lives. I guess you could say we experienced the extremes of Yin and Yang in 2020.
As hard as it is to say, I wouldn’t change it for the world because it brought me such happiness.
How we look at things matters.
Thinking through my final thoughts on 2020 has also provided a new perspective and one I’d like to share: how we look at things matters.
Traditionally, I’ve been a pessimist.
Having experienced so much emotional pain, mental wellness issues, and shitty business dealings with people in the past, it had tainted my entire worldview. And to be honest, there are still hurdles to overcome. Maybe you’ve been there yourself.
Yet somehow, even when I don’t see much hope in humanity at the moment, I’m feeling optimistic. This is because I’m choosing to see the positive.
What if in 2021, we all stopped fixating on the bad and focused on the good? And believe me, there IS good in the world. What if we stopped trying to enforce our beliefs or opinions and just ignored the bullshit? Let people be who they are.
There is no requirement to be a Negative Vibe Merchant in life. I’ve learned that seeing things more positively significantly impacts my life.
The same will be true for you.
Final Thoughts on 2020
There’s a lot more I could say, and perhaps it would help, but maybe not. What matters is that 2020 is over, and we have two choices—live in the past or start living for today.
We shouldn’t forget the challenges or hardships. As bad as these situations were, they can help us grow stronger and more prepared for the future. Hopefully, they will even help us make better decisions for 2021. Maybe it will help us see how fragile life is and that we should embrace every moment we’re given.
I wish you the best as we advance into this new year.