7 Things I’ve learned in 2020

We all get a bit more retrospective at this time of year, don’t we? 2020 has been a global shock on so many levels. Perhaps because of that it’s even more important to reflect and learn from it.

So, I thought I’d do that and share some of the things I've realised.

#1: Don’t take what you have for granted.

Have you ever sprained your ankle? Hurts, doesn’t it? You can’t move without pain. You never appreciated just how much you rely on your ankle working pain-free. 

I feel 2020 has been a similar wake-up call for us all. So many freedoms we’ve taken for granted for so long. It’s easier—perhaps natural—to become complacent. But we should always remember how quickly things can change.

#2: Keep learning.

Our education system has been shown up this year. They’ve been way behind the technology needed to teach young people. Now that the exams are cancelled for the second year running, perhaps schools will finally understand the importance of professional development that gives teachers the required skills for effective online learning.

#3: Appreciate your own company.

As an only child, I’ve always had to enjoy my own company. Isolation has been difficult for so many who weren’t used to it. Learning to be alone is a skill that everyone should learn—not just to cope with—but to enjoy.

#4: Get outside more.

Although foreign travel has been severely limited, we’ve all been encouraged to exercise outside more. That’s encouraged us to discover places in our local areas we didn’t even know about. 

This tree-lined corridor felt like something out of a fairy tale. It's not far from where I live, but I'd never been there before.

I’ve also joined Let’s Walk Business, a group founded by Judith Rayner, who sends bimonthly audios on some aspect of business. She records them while she walks and we listen while walking too. All in all a great way to exercise, reflect and get away from your desk!

#5: Make time for the important people in your life.

We are always so busy, aren’t we? Never enough time to relax or visit friends or do the things we say we want to do. 2020 made us slow down and take that time. I now have a monthly Zoom call with one of my oldest friends. Before this year I saw him once every couple of years.

It shouldn’t take a pandemic to make us see the people we care about, but it has. I don’t want to go back to being too busy to spend time with my friends.

#6: Always look for positives.

I like to think of myself as a positive person, so I always try to find a silver lining when bad things happen. Two major positives of this pandemic (for me) have been: the mainstreaming of working from home; and using Zoom for meetings.

Flexible working is something I think has been needed for a long time, but was always resisted. Now it’s been done by necessity. And guess what? It works fine!

Zoom has allowed meetings to happen without all that wasted time travelling, never mind the cost; or the carbon footprint!

#7: Keep an open mind.

Perhaps I’m being paranoid, but I feel the world has become very divided and nationalistic. We’ve had to restrict movement and close borders to prevent spread of the virus, but that shouldn’t mean we become scared of travel or new people or experiences.

We shouldn’t be afraid of ideas that are different from our own.

This pandemic has affected us all—no matter where we live on the planet. That shared wound should unite us, rather than divide us.

So, tonight I hope we all have a much healthier and happier 2021. But I personally want to use what I've learned from this year to make every year from now on a better one.