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We made it through 2020. This has been an incredibly tough year from every angle, and my heart breaks for those who have lost loved ones, jobs, and business ventures.
Despite all of that, I’m still a glass-half-full kind of gal. I want to believe that 2021 will be brighter. Not necessarily easy, but moving in a positive direction. I also think many of the lessons we learned this year will give us renewed strength to make it through the months ahead.
Just think about the skills that we have (perhaps reluctantly) gained.
For many of us, we learned how to retool our business models at the drop of a hat to accommodate crazy and unexpected circumstances. We’ve been pushed way out of our comfort zones (ahem) to find innovative routes to serve our customers. And we have had 10 months to figure out how to best communicate, deliver, and lead virtually. Our resiliency muscles got quite a workout.
This past year also gave us an opportunity to sharpen our creative skills. For some people, that involved testing recipes, playing more games, learning a new language, or just experimenting with technology to better suit our home offices. For others, it meant redecorating their homes, joining on-line art classes, or setting up backyard makeshift camping tents to break the “at-home” monotony.
And while some used their former commute time to browse social media or catch a nap, others used the time to sharpen their skills or learn a new one. Online learning platforms like LinkedIn reported record breaking views and countless people shared their new learnings with their friends and colleagues. DIY professional development and peer learning were already taking hold, but this year these strategies catapulted our ability to learn and grow.
But most of all, 2020 gave us the chance to pause and reflect. To ask questions. To be more intentional about how we live our lives. I've spoken to a number of friends and clients who are now rethinking their work roles, committing to being more present with their families, and reconnecting with hobbies they abandoned years ago.
We have no idea what’s ahead but, in many ways, we’re more prepared to be flexible and keep pace with the ever-changing demands of life and leadership. Thanks, 2020, (okay, not really) for the hard-earned wisdom we would probably have preferred to skip. I’m looking forward to sharing some of those insights with you in the coming months.
Wishing you a wonderfully successful 2021.
Sara
