Waving a Grand GOODBYE to 2020  

I have yet to meet a person who was not more than ready to wave a “get outta here” to the year 2020. At 12:00 am on January 1, 2021, alarms will have sounded to ensure they don’t miss the moment.   People were ready to shed their skin, or what is left of it anyway, and start afresh. 

Changing Direction is More Than a Positive Thought 

Common belief says that we can turn corners, change directions, and start again in a new year.   But we all know that New Year’s Resolutions rarely work.   

A year ago – in fact, right about the time we realized the resolutions we made for 2020 were already failing us, we learned that there was a health threat, and not even our best scientists knew what to do.   People in power and those with decades of experience were scrambling for answers. 

You can trace our reactions – just look back at the news.  

We reacted to the crises by changing how and where we work while privately wondering if we would lose our jobs.   Researchers found among many workers emotionally charged behaviors and attitudes shown in anger, depression, and an odd sense of loneliness. 

To enjoy the new energy and hope in this new year, we need to move past reaction. 

Reflection as a First Step Toward Meaningful Change 

Our decision to make new habits is a powerful force if we know why we want to make that commitment.   

Human beings rarely choose to suffer change unless there is a value proposition that they want more than comfort.  

Every year we shudder at the numbers between our toes on the bathroom scales or at the amount owing on our credit cards.  But, we reinforce our behaviors with repetition.  They will not change because we are “fed up” with ourselves.  

Reflecting on what we do want, and how we want to feel in our everyday lives, gives us impetus.  We are not punishing ourselves for destructive behavior, but rather choosing a new outcome, a new circumstance for ourselves – because we can. 

Reflecting on What Was 

If we take the time to reflect on what we did or didn’t do, we can develop a new year’s roadmap worth embracing.  

Reaction is an emotional interplay with our circumstances while responding is a conscious and deliberate choice we make.  

Start with what you learned from the chaos of last year.  It wasn’t all bad. There are hidden gems in pain. 

I asked friends and colleagues to share some benefits they experienced during the turmoil.   

Here are some of their responses: 

  • I didn’t have a commute 
  • I spent a lot less money 
  • I had more time with my family 
  • I did less laundry 
  • I had meaningful authentic conversations with my staff on the phone 
  • We re-examined work priorities 
  • We found new efficiencies in the office previously overlooked 
  • We brainstormed many innovative ideas for the future 
  • I had time to further my education and expertise.  
  • I found myself grateful for small things I often ignored or missed 

Make Your Own List and Choose Behaviors You Value to Carry Into 2021  

Now it’s your turn.  

  • What did you learn? (i.e., about yourself, your work, your society, your values) 
  • What was of value?
  • What did you see about yourself that you would like to improve?  
  • How did the restrictions of 2020 force you to adapt and function better? 

Instead of resisting all that happened to us, we can optimize our experiences, good and bad, by reflecting on the surprise benefits or strategies we learned.  

How can we build behaviors and make choices for this new year based on our new insights? 

We Are Not Out of the Woods – But Together We Can Forge a Path   

While we still face challenging months ahead, we have accumulated new understandings.   

As they reflect, people learn about themselves – mainly because they had nowhere to go and nothing to do – but feel, see, and think.  There’s only so much Netflix we can take! 

There are no words that can offer comfort or explain the year we have been through together.   But, as history has taught us, we have a distinct opportunity to learn, to respond, to choose, and forge a path toward a future we want to create.   

Instead of autopilot behavior, we have to take control of the manual controls.  

We face the daily decision of who and what we will become individually and collectively. 

Leaders  – now is the time to shine.  

Let’s work together to help our teams see a new future and build from a stronger foundation, tested by time and shaped by choice.