Goodbye, 2020 (and good riddance).

I don’t think I’ve ever been so THRILLED to see a year go. To say 2020 was a challenge for all of us is a gross understatement, to be sure.

But like a lot of things, this past year was also one long lesson in perseverance and resilience — which, as many of you know, I consider to be the two most important skills any UXer, Designer or human being on this Earth can possess. The fortitude and strength to keep going when even a single step feels like more than you’re capable of.

But as my wife Eli has taught me (and continues to teach me), you can either complain about it or DO something about it — but not both.

So despite all that’s transpired this year, and the degree to which it’s repeatedly taken us to the floor, I want you to know this:

I hold great hope for 2021, and I believe deeply in ALL OF YOU.

Those of you who dealt with the brutality of COVID-19 in any way, shape or form and still managed to keep putting one foot in front of the other anyway are proof positive. Whether you’ve been down for the count with it, lost loved ones to it, or are dealing with it every hour of every day on the front lines as a first responder, you are a WARRIOR.

Those of you looking for jobs — at the worst possible time this past year — are proof positive. Applying and interviewing is a long, steady beatdown even when things are good. But to withstand that on top of everything else this year is proof that you are a WARRIOR.

Those of you still in school struggling with remote learning and the isolation and demotivation and depression that comes with it are proof positive. As someone who’s taught remotely this past year and found it unbelievably challenging, and who has watched students rise above in the face of all sorts of odds that shouldn’t be issues at this point in their lives, there is no question in my mind that all of you are WARRIORS.

No matter who you are or what you do, the fact that you’re still here, still trying, still pushing is testament to your strength and your courage and your resilience.

I salute you all, and I invite you to take a moment to really think about the resolve you’ve shown over the past 12 months. To really see just how strong you’ve been, how far you’ve managed to come in the face of terrible odds.

Because that, my friends, is something to celebrate tonight when the clock strikes midnight.

And something to carry with you into the New Year ahead.

Love to you all — stay sharp, stay strong and stay safe.

#NewYearsEve2021