Although 2020 has been a year of hardship, sadness and loss caused by the coronavirus pandemic, I reflect on the important lessons I learnt this past year.
I witnessed that progress is possible and that we can make the world a better place. With less cars on the road, air pollution dropped significantly, attitudes towards the trade and eating of wildlife have changed, and ocean conservation strategies to end over-fishing and other harmful activities have been launched around the world.
“The pandemic is an opportune moment in human history to refocus our efforts to revitalise nature and allow it to bloom in all its glory.”
– Shana Gokul
On a more personal level, here are five lessons I learnt this year.
1. Be grateful
Earlier this year, I watched The Secret, a thought-provoking documentary movie about the significance of positivity. As the movie suggests, I decided to start a little practice: I picked up a stone in my garden and placed it on my dressing table. It is my gratitude stone, and every morning it reminds me of the things I have to be grateful for.
This year especially has emphasised the importance of gratitude and that gratitude helps us better deal with adversity. I’ve read and heard a lot of sad news and grim statistics, but I know I still have much to be grateful for. I live a comfortable life and have so much love and support around me.
2. Practise self-compassion
I learnt that acknowledging my shortcomings and responding with kindness is a far better strategy than being self-critical or denying failure.
Although I know of numerous physical and mental benefits of regular exercise and eating healthily, I’ve been less active and eaten too much rubbish this year. I accept this reality, but I also make better choices now without starting an extreme exercise routine or starving myself. For instance, I nowadays start my day with a glass of water – and not a cup of tea or coffee, and I have an exercise hour planned into my day.
I believe that practising self-compassion makes you more empathetic towards others too. We are all flawed. We need to take care of each other, but also the animals and our environment.
3. Focus on what is important
Challenges, as we’ve all experienced this year, bring some clarity too. They highlight what is important in life – what you value most.
During our nationwide lockdown, I could spend more time with my family and less time commuting as we’ve had to work from home since March. This has emphasised how much I enjoy working from home and having more time with my family, and how little I like driving to work every day, especially during rush hour. This wake-up call has also been my catalyst for looking for an alternative source of income where I can work from anywhere.
Personal values are guiding principles that make us more positive, confident, focused and action driven. These values also help with making tough decisions or when undertaking major changes.
I recently wrote down my core values in an activity as part of my studies this year. It was a great reminder of what is meaningful to me, but the activity also helped me make some important decisions relating to my personal goals.
4. Never stop learning
Economic uncertainty and unemployment have reached new heights this year. I have learnt that reskilling or upskilling are even more important now, and this has motivated me to learn new skills.
Set aside your fear of failure, step out of your comfort zone and learn something new.
“Everything you’ve ever wanted is on the other side of fear.”
– George Addair
If you’re uncertain what to learn, start by researching which skills are currently in high demand or where to get the skills you’re interested in or passionate about.
In parallel to learning a new skill, personal development or self-improvement, that focuses on other areas such as psychological, spiritual and physical wellbeing, teaches you about your aspirations and abilities, and should become a life-long love affair.
5. Be resilient
One of my biggest insights this year has been around learning resilience. During the lockdown, I had no choice but to continue working full time (from home) while looking after our two-year-old toddler. Although I enjoy working from home and love our son, these dramatic changes implied a few challenges.
And I had to adapt quickly. The volume of work didn’t subside during the pandemic; it actually increased as we turned to online support and webinars for our clients.
I learnt the importance of adapting to change beyond my control. The quicker you accept what is happening, the quicker you can get on with your life.
“This year, I learnt the ‘5 by 5 rule’: If it won’t matter in five years, don’t spend more than five minutes being upset by it.”
– Joli Sakamoto
The next step would be to embrace change as an opportunity to learn more about myself and to develop a deeper appreciation of life.
I’ll be stepping into 2021 feeling more positive (knowing change for the better is happening everywhere, even though this good news usually doesn’t get the big headline), embracing challenges, and whole-heartedly appreciating and enjoying time with my family and friends.
