The case for 2020 being a good year…

Yes, I realize that by all normal measures 2020 was pretty much a flaming train wreck of a year for many people, including myself, but bear with me here.

My 2020 plan pretty much imploded by February and all of the goals and objectives I had carefully planned in the fall of 2019 were off the table and not remotely achievable under the new pandemic reality. Like many business owners, I was also faced with the harsh reality of significantly reduced revenue and tremendous uncertainty regarding our ability to respond to the situation and whether or not we would be able to survive and find a way forward.

As we approach the end of the year, I think it’s natural to reflect over the past 12 months and I have to tell you that, as I did this, I got lost in a tunnel of doom scrolling and itemizing all the negative things that have happened. However, when I step back and look at the events of 2020 in a broader perspective, I realize that, while I didn’t accomplish my planned objectives, I did end up accomplishing other things that I had not planned to do, such as:

· Learned about podcasting and developed and launched my first podcast — Digital Pragmatic

· Refined the value proposition for my business and developed new branding and marketing materials

· Found the time to read both widely and deeply including things I had not previously spent much time on such as poetry and philosophy

· Developed new partnerships with emerging technology firms that significantly enhance the value we can deliver to our clients

· Increased my focus on health and fitness and logged more miles cycling (both indoor and outdoor) than I have for many years

· Spent more time with my father who is living on his own and appreciates the visits

· Spent more time with my immediate family and, while we sometimes got on each other’s nerves living in close quarters, I appreciate that the opportunity to spend time together is increasingly rare

· While I have had less opportunity to interact with friends, the interactions I have had have been deeper and more meaningful

· Had the opportunity to support and be supported by some very intelligent, talented, and capable people and I learned to better appreciate the quality of people that I can call friends

· I have been pushed out of my comfort zone and, while I haven’t always enjoyed it, I am pretty sure it has been good for me

Over the past year I have had the opportunity to remember:

· The amount of gratitude you feel is the number one indicator of how much joy you will get out of life

· You can’t always choose what happens to you, but you can always choose how you respond

· Things change. Holding on to the past doesn’t do any good. Accept and move on to the new reality, even if you don’t want to

· All progress is progress. Small, manageable chunks of improvement are best

· A negative attitude is a habit, and habits can be broken

· You can’t do good work with bad tools — remember to work on yourself

· Set goals that you can control and are not dependent on external factors

2020 has taken away much that I was hoping for but has also given much that I needed but was not looking for.

Some say life is about choices. As I look towards the new year, I have decided to choose to focus on what I have gained vs what I have lost and try to use the lessons of 2020 to make 2021 outstanding.

Wishing you all the best for the new year