This has been one heck of a year. Am I right? 2020 was one of the most interesting decades, I mean 365 days, I’ve ever experienced. What about you? As tempting as it might be to say sayonara to 2020 while flipping it the bird, I encourage you to take an honest look at what happened, how you felt, and how you responded. When the ball drops on New Year’s Eve, and 2021 begins, you will still be living your same life, with your current beliefs and attitudes – the good and the bad.
I’ll tell you, when I started 2020 it was all vision board parties, yoga, and positive intentions. As the year went on, and COVID showed up, I felt swallowed up by it. I was in fear. My fight or flight response was activated. I did not appreciate the memes people posted about it being an introvert’s dream and how they’d been, “training their whole life for this.”
I went into full-blown panic. I felt like the world was being run by an alcoholic who was making bad decisions that we all had to deal with and follow, even when they didn’t make any sense.
And that was the thing for me, 2020 didn’t make sense. During this season we were asked to stay away from each other, to wear masks, to not go into work, to stay home, and to not connect. It was all so counterintuitive and created a tremendous amount of uncomfortability for me. I hate feeling controlled, constrained, and unable to make decisions.
Then I remembered that I was the meme, I had trained my entire life for this. I know what to do when uncertainty hits. I know what to do when my mind is racing. I know how to choose my thoughts, create, and how to help others. And that’s what I did.
- I shifted my attitude.
- I stopped waiting for COVID to be over and for things to go back to “normal.”
- I created a life I wanted.
- I looked for what I could learn from 2020.
- I listened.
- I adjusted.
- I helped others do the same.
Ushering in 2021 Exercise:
Step 1: Imagine that it’s December 30, 2021. What do you hope to accomplish? What do you really want? I encourage you to write it down. Visualize it. Put it somewhere you can see it. Feel it. Make it real.
Step 2: Who you would have to be to live that life.
- What new attitude do you want to adopt so that you can create a conscious shift in 2021?
- What do you need to let go of?
- What actions do you need to take?
- What beliefs don’t line up with your December 30, 2021 future self?
Step 3: Pull your future self into the present by taking an action to create it, letting go of a belief that’s holding you back, sharing your vision with others, and getting accountability and support to move forward. Write down what you are committing to.
Step 4: Look at your 2021 vision daily and align your actions and thoughts with that vision. Act as if it is your current life and do the things that you would be doing if it were.
The New Year is on its way. Go out and claim your 2021. Cheers to you!
