“I came in like a wrecking ball”
I feel like if the year 2020 liked karaoke, he / she / they would sing this Miley Cyrus hit. I had so many plans in 2020 that totally didn’t happen. I imagine many of you are feeling the same way! So, now that this year has FINALLY come to a close, let’s talk about how I’m planning to take all the lessons I learned in 2020 and use them to make 2021 a MUCH better year.
PIVOT!
Going into 2020, I had a “timeline” of how I thought things in my life would go. There was talk of travel and certain personal things my family wanted to do before considering having baby number two. Then when we realized we were stuck at home forever, there were even thoughts of advancing those plans. However, after carefully considering everything, I realized it’s okay that last year made us hit the PAUSE button and just enjoy being with each other.
It’s hard to tell in the rush of normality how much we miss simply by not slowing down. 2020 made me pivot from the plan I thought was right for my family and made me realize that it’s okay for things to change. It’s perfectly fine to change my mind. And believe it or not, things don’t have to go exactly as you planned. My biggest lesson learned in 2020 was that DEVIATION can be such a good thing.
Deviating from our plans leads to growth.
I learned pretty quickly in 2020 that when things don’t go exactly as I planned that I don’t have to go into a full on meltdown. It has been SO painful for me to realize how much my constant need for perfection and planning was adding stress to my life. Now, I still enjoy being on top of things, but I have learned to embrace life’s imperfections, count my blessings, and above all, PRIORITIZE.
In the process of learning to juggle working from home and being a stay-at-home mom as well as the return to “normal,” I quickly realized how much I was lacking in “me time.” I was running around with my hair on fire doing everything for everyone and NEVER pouring back into myself. Finally, in the last quarter of 2020, I realized I had to put that to a STOP. I started prioritizing my own wellness by committing to working out on a regular basis and doing things I enjoy. I learned a big lesson that “me time” is not a LUXURY.
I think we can all agree that the year 2020 felt like five years all in one. I’m still suffering from the hangover that was the start of a global pandemic AND an election year all in one. I can’t think of a worse nightmare! The year seemed to pass by at a glacial pace as we anxiously awaited things to become “normal” again. However, I learned so much in the time I spent moving at a slower pace than normal. This was a time that I grew into motherhood in the most amazing way and got a front row seat to every single amazing thing my son did for the first time in his life. I am forever grateful that I got to pause the craziness for a while and bask in the beauty of watching my son transform from baby to toddler. I learned that being BUSY isn’t the end all be all of life and if anything, living more slowly and more simply is EVEN MORE fulfilling.
This year is yours.
Although it’s still to be determined how “normal” 2021 will be for us, let’s hope that we can find our middle ground and begin to take all the impactful lessons 2020 taught us and carry them forward to live our lives with more warmth, purpose, motivation, and love.
Life is far too short to be anything but happy, and I think we can all agree we learned that really quickly last year! CHEERS to the New Year, Mama. Let’s make it an unforgettable one.
