2020...The Year of Truth

2020 was far from being a sugar coated year. It was rude, blunt, aggressive and opportunistic. It didn’t miss a chance to wow us with more and more challenges.

Looking backwards, it was the year of truth, the year that unveiled who we are and what we are capable of. The year that pushed us to our limits, jeopardized our plans and tamed our dreams. For few, it was the year of opportunities, radical changes and new beginnings. But what is common among us all is that we can unanimously extract valuable lessons from it.

Here are my 10 lessons compiled from personal experience:

1. Live the moment and make the best out of it; don't procrastinate.
2. Have a rough plan but don’t cling too much on it; you might get frequently disappointed if you always expect it to work as you intended.
3. Embrace change; you might be experiencing a life very different than what you are used to. Get out of your comfort zone, give it a chance and trust the magic of new beginnings.
4. Be resilient if you wish to thrive in this volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous environment.
5. Be flexible and adaptable to the current situation rather than reminiscing on what could have been done better.
6. Don’t put high expectations on yourself and on others.
7. Be aware of the paradox of being socially oriented at all times yet comfortable with self time.
8. Don’t give up on your short term and long term goals. Some may be postponed, others may be modified or replaced by more suitable ones but be bold and never stop dreaming.
9. Strengthen your bonds with your family and friends.
10. Seize and cherish every new opportunity offered to you; whether meeting a new person, growing professionally, starting a new activity... These are really scarce nowadays.

With these lessons, we should be well equipped to welcome the new year 2021. We should have faith that it will bring on new opportunities to fulfill our dreams, challenge our status quo and hopefully heal the scars of 2020.