For most of us, 2020 was disorienting and exhausting, too. Many of us experienced anxiety, stress and had to deal with an unknown challenge. Most of us, were thrown into a total shut down, ordered to stay at home, with no hint as to how long. Work and school suddenly paused. Some of us lost jobs, some of us lost loved ones. Almost all of us lost our certainty about the future, if there ever was any.
For better or worse, the last year has changed us. And now, looking back, we can see that the lessons we’ve learned - about health, family, work, resilience, community, and humanity - are lessons that are invaluable and we’ll carry forward into 2021. The pandemic has also changed our view on the significance of health, and hopefully, it will result in mental illnesses no longer being taboo and stigmatized.
As we all know, if you're stuck, if you struggle and get challenged, it's where you learn the most and are able to grow. And even if last year, many believed, that they couldn't go on, we had to keep going through a year that pushed all of us to our limits in one way or another. We learned something about the ways we perform under stress, maybe without even realizing that we did. If you look back, you might be astonished how well you fought your way through this crazy year, you might have accomplished things, that you would never have thought possible. Working from home, homeschooling your kids, not being able to travel, no meetings in person, difficulties to plan the next week, your holidays, and your business. One year ago, many would have said: "Impossible!"
And yet you managed to live your life without routines, rituals, habits, and structure.
This teaches us a lot about adaptability, flexibility, resilience, patience, trust and courage. Things we don't learn at school, but are developed over time.
But how do we develop these attributes?
The development of attributes requires awareness and self-assessment, and a conscious effort to change your natural behaviour. As many of our behaviour patterns are running subconsciously, they are often difficult to assess and change.
How adaptable are you?
How easy was it for you to shift to social distancing, no shaking hands, no hugging, wearing masks, working from home? Some of us adapted within a couple of days, others are still suffering after one year.
How resilient are you?
How did you react to unexpected difficulties, and challenging life experiences? Are you able to bounce back if things aren't going as planned? How do you think about your future?
No matter which characteristics we are examining, we all had the opportunity to discover qualities, we are good at and others, where we were forced to get better at.
Adversity can force us out of our comfort zones and lead to unexpected growth. 2020 has reinforced the reality that anything can happen at a moment’s notice. This extraordinary circumstance has changed our perspectives on health, family, work, resilience, and the community, and it has truly provided the gift of life lessons. You had been given an opportunity to look at yourself, grow and maybe even reconstruct your life.
This means that, whether it feels like it or not, you are heading into 2021 in much better shape. You’ve navigated a challenge that humanity hasn’t experienced in recent decades. If you need support to identify your attributes in which you seek to evolve, don't hesitate to contact me for a free call. Coaching works like a GPS, it can guide you on a most direct road to your destination.
Comments