3 Things You Should Have Learned in 2020
It’s finally over! The year everyone wishes to forget. 2020 was a year that toyed with our emotions and played out like a Hollywood disaster movie. We saw the world on fire, giant insects, political insanity, and a virus that took away everything we hold dear. Honestly the only thing left were the zombies, nuclear winter, or moon Nazi’s. More than all of that, what stood out to me about 2020 was how quickly we let it defeat us. As the year went on, rather than learn from what was happening, adapting and growing, many people checked out. I began hearing “but it’s 2020” more often as an excuse for bad attitudes and even worse behaviors. It revealed how weak minded many people are when faced with adversity. How soft and easy our lives have become and how little we are willing to learn from struggles. While 2020 was a struggle on many levels, we shouldn’t just walk away from it as our lost year. There are three very important things we should take with us, and if you can’t see them you may have lost more than just a year.
You Need to Rest
Prior to 2020 when was the last time you truly slowed down? Let’s admit it. We were out of control. We didn’t know how to turn off. We were obsessed with busyness. We were working an ungodly amount of hours, constantly plugged in so we didn’t miss a thing as we tried to make that next step up in society. We then did the same to our kids who bounced from school, to band, to sports, to parties. We even gave up our holidays. We traded time around the table or in the backyard for waiting in lines for a mega deal on TV’s, furniture, or mixers. Even when we relaxed we did so while watching TV with our phone in one hand. We had no off switch. So the universe stepped in and hit it for us. It was like the universe could sense that we were running ourselves into the ground and had had enough of all of our busyness and striving. There were no excuses to check our emails or call into the office because they weren’t there. Out of the blue they were stripped away and we were forced to slow down. What we found was something we hadn’t realized we lost. We were left with the stillness of our lives. Restaurants were closed so we returned to our dinner tables. Private baseball coaches were gone so we threw the ball in the yard. School was closed so we had to change our work habits to be with our kids.
My dad always says “come apart and rest a while, or you just might come apart”. In my spiritual world we call it “sabbath”, a day of rest. Time where you turn everything off. In 2020 we learned the importance of rest. It’s okay to take time off. It’s good to slept in and wander around in your pajamas. It’s okay to say no to checking your emails, messages, posting on Facebook, running the kids to practice, dinner dates with the gang, etc. Think about how many times in your busy life you just wanted to say “no, I don’t want to” just so you have some peace. 2020 gave us that ability again. It reminded us how perfect it feels to slow down and turn it all off. Don’t begin your new year without making sure you remember to rest.
Know Who’s Important
How many followers do you have? How many connections do you have? By the time 2020 hit us we measured our lives in likes and shares. Our social media profiles told us that we had hundreds or thousands of friends. It gave us this false sense of security about how connected we were with the world around us. 2020 did more to change that than just lock us down. As we settled into our lock-down routines we started to see people differently. More honestly. The social and political environment of 2020 opened our eyes to look deeper at who we were as individuals and then who we wanted in our lives. Who shared our values? Who understood our worldview? Who would keep us safe? We learned who is most important in our lives.
In many ways 2020 removed all the blinders we had to the relationships in our lives. We realized how important some people were to us. How much value they added to our lives and how much it hurt us not having them around. We also saw how others we had kept in our life did the opposite. 2020 did an amazing thing for us. It gave us an opportunity to choose who we wanted in our life. It was freeing to no longer feel obligated to a relationship. We can now fill our lives with people who pour into our heart and soul, adding meaning to our life.
You Need to Be Healthy
Every year starts off with goals. And the number one resolution every year is to get healthier. Lose weight, stop smoking, and exercise more are the top resolutions every year. 2020 showed us just how important all of that is. As a world we had become very unhealthy. Sitting for hours a day, eating processed foods and sugary drinks. We made excuses that we were too busy or too tired to exercise properly or cook a healthy meal. Then came a global pandemic that hit the unhealthy the hardest. Those who are obese, have heart disease or respiratory illness were at the top of the at-risk list. And a nation who leads the world in those categories quickly led the world in cases and death toll. It was a shock to the system and a devastating reality check on how we live our lives. Even our healthcare system had to prioritize who received care, leaving many who relied on perpetual care to stay home in pain or get sicker. We were forced to take a good hard look at ourselves in the mirror and say “I need to take care of myself better”.
As our lives were disrupted with quarantines and restrictions we adapted. With fitness facilities closed we invested in home gyms and learned to exercise on our own. Between restaurant restrictions and the gift of time we began cooking at home, enjoying a healthier balance to our food sources. We researched healthy lifestyle changes like vitamin supplements and proper recovery from exercise. As health clubs re-opened I began to see the toll of quarantine on hundreds of people first hand. Not only from weight gain and deconditioning, but mentally and emotionally. And I witnessed the renewed passion many had for their health. They are more intentional about how they live their life and ask more questions to take care of themselves beyond the workout. 2020 was a reminder that you only have one body. Taking care of it is priority number one.
It’s All About Perspective
Every year has it’s ups and downs. I know that I’ve had worse years than 2020. Year’s where I was unemployed and struggled more emotionally, physically, and spiritually. As I look back on 2020 I see a hard reset to the world. A much needed pause. I believe that every trial and tribulation we face in life is there to make us stronger and to help us grow. I talked with many people this past year who said the closure was tough, but one of the best things for them. They finally were able to spent time healing emotionally, spiritually, and physically. Coming out of 2020 they feel more balanced. I’m not saying 2020 wasn’t a challenge. Nor am I downplaying how hard it was on so many, especially those who lost loved ones. However, I believe that in order to truly enter a new year we must take the lessons we learned from one of our most trying years and apply it to our lives. We should never dwell on the past, but we should always learn from it. This year resolve to rest, surround yourself with the people you love, and be healthy. Then live your best life with 2020 as a reminder of how important those things are.
