NEW YEAR, NEW BEGINNINGS: 2020 REFLECTIONS.

NEW YEAR, NEW BEGINNINGS. WHAT. A. YEAR!!!!

To say 2020 was interesting, is a bit of an understatement. It was WILD. There were ups, downs, and everything in between.

Somedays you wake up feeling confused, other days you’re like WTF is happening? And then somedays you’re totally fine being indoors, binging Netflix, and eating pizza right out of the box. LOL.

Nonetheless, 2020 is over and we’re now into a brand new year. Listen, I’m not about “NEW YEAR, NEW ME” kinda shit. I don’t know why you need to be a new you. YOU are just fine! I’m more into new year, new beginnings.

New beginnings can be wonderful. It’s a fresh start, so why not explore a new beginning if you need to? Maybe you don’t, and that’s okay too.

You guys know I’m strong on my faith. I don’t discuss it much on the blog, because I’m not one of those people that will ever shove religion in one’s face. But, here and there I like to bring it up, because it’s important to me. Faith is what keeps me going and really it’s what kept me going all through 2020. 2020 wasn’t a terrible year for me. In fact, if I’m being honest, I LOVED 2020.

Sure, I missed seeing/hugging people, and I missed eating out at restaurants, and travelling, but overall, I appreciated the smallest things in life and really embraced 2020 for what it was. And Covid is far from being done. Just because we’re in 2021 there isn’t some magic button that makes Covid go away.

But the other day, I was watching an online service, and the priest mentioned 10 life lessons that I thought we’re dead on! They were insightful and really made sense for 2020. There are things you NEED to keep in mind to help you keep going through life.

So, I want to share 7 of them with you.

NEW YEAR, NEW BEGINNINGS: 7 LIFE LESSONS.

#1. A crisis doesn’t change people, it amplifies them.

This pandemic came as a shock to everyone. People were panicking, buying loads of canned foods, toilet paper, crowding the grocery stores for absolutely no reason at all. We all think that something like this pandemic “changes” who you are as a person, but really is just shows who you really are.

Were you kind through this crisis? Did you help elderly people? Did you stay home? Did you comply with the rules?

Think about who you were during this pandemic. It wasn’t who you became, but who you always were.

#2. You can come to know your true self when everything is taken from you.

Obviously during this pandemic, life became as simple as we could possibly imagine. All the fluffiness that we are used to was gone – restaurants, movie theatres, gyms, salons, travel, etc. But aside from the superficial stuff that was taken away, there was more. We could no longer shake hands with someone, hug the people we love, kiss our grandparents, even stand closer than 6 feet from people.

But you come to know your true self through all this. How did you react? How did you handle this? Did you look at the glass half full or half empty?

When everything was taken from you, did you panic or did you stay calm and work through it?

#3. The little things are the most important.

WOW is this statement ever fucking true. I’m pretty sure we’ll never take the small things for granted again. 2020 made me realize just how important it is to value the smallest things in life. Date nights, hugs, family, friends, being able to go wherever you want without a mask, etc.

If there’s one thing to take from this year, let it be THIS. Appreciate every little thing that comes your way. Working from home made me realize just how wonderful it is to sit and have a coffee in the morning, instead of rushing to work with my coffee half spilled. It made me slow down and enjoy life minute by minute.

Take some time to reflect on the smallest things that happened in 2020, and be grateful.

#4. It is important to weed out dysfunctional relationships.

This one is important. 2020 made me realize the real friendships from the fake ones. Who kept in touch? Who didn’t? Who sent you a note saying ‘how are you?’

Honestly, make 2021 the year where you drop a bunch of shitty relationships. Don’t make any excuses. The time has come where you only spend time with your quality friends. People who truly care about you. After 2020, no one should spend a second with anyone they don’t want to.

This is what I’m realizing as I get older. I cannot spread myself too thin. I have a job, a career, a family, a relationship, a home that needs cleaning, a brand that I’m building, and I have no time for fake friendships.

Evaluate the people in your life. New year, new beginnings! This may seem harsh, but you’re not 15 years old anymore and have time for 32 different friendships. Sorry, not sorry. Weed out the dysfunctional relationships. Trust me, you will be happier.

And while we’re at it, use the mute button on Instagram more. LOL.

+ check out my post on You Can’t Please Everyone (& That’s OKAY!)

#5. Slowing down can be a blessing.

HELL YES. This year has taught me that slowing down is exactly what most of us needed. Canadians tend to work work WERRRK, all day errrday! And I’m totally guilty of this as well. I would go to my 9-5 job, come home and get right to blogging. Weekends were meant to shoot content, edit posts, and get ready for another week of content.

But when the pandemic happened and we all needed to work from home, things automatically slowed down. We were forced to take walks in nature because we couldn’t go anywhere else. We were forced to cook with our partners, and eat every meal with them, because going to a restaurant was not an option. We were forced to just sit down and relax in front of the TV.

Slowing down was something we didn’t even know we needed. But we’re so glad it happened. It was truly a blessing. This taught us that we need to stop and smell the roses. New year, new beginnings. Start to slow down this year.

#6. We underestimate our resilience and adaptability.

I think it’s safe to say that most of us made it through 2020, am I right? Sure, we may have had mental breakdowns, cries, stressful moments, anxiety, but at the end of the day, we MADE IT. And we truly do underestimate just how resilient and adaptable we are.

We pivoted like no other! No one saw this pandemic coming, and sure, at first people panicked. There was a lot of questions being thrown out, and difficult decisions, but as the months kept coming, I noticed just how much all of us adapted. People became kinder. Stronger. BETTER.

And the best part is we’re coming out of this pandemic stronger. Someday we’ll be able to tell our kids about this pandemic and what a struggle it was, and just how adaptable we were through it all.

#7. Hope for the best. Plan for the worst.

This is more of a financial statement. During this pandemic, a lot of people lost their jobs, a lot of small businesses closed down for good. I’m adding this life lesson in here because it’s one of the most important ones.

Were you financially stable during this pandemic? Or did you struggle?

Regardless of what your situation was, let this be a lesson to live within your means. SAVE. YOUR. MONEY. (Check out this post)

Save your money for a rainy day, because you never know when that rainy day might come. You can hope for the best, but you have to plan for the worst.

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So, new year, new beginnings! The pandemic is far from over, but things are looking brighter. There is a light at the end of this tunnel.

Reflect on 2020 be grateful that you made it. Write down what you learned from this year, and what 2021 might look like for you. You may have new goals and a new outlook on life. I know I do!

Share some of your life lessons in the comments.

Xx, kim

++ Check out my post on 4 Life Lessons I’ve Learnt.

+++ Oh, and don’t forget to check out 3 Ways To End The Year On A Good Note.

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