2021

2020 sure was an interesting year and perhaps the most interesting and historic of my lifetime. So much did not go as planned and so much just did not happen that was supposed to happen. So many people were negatively affected this year, in so many ways, and many are still hurting more than ever.

I go into 2021 with more optimism than I have ever had to enter a new year. I look back at 2020 seeing what positive things did happen and what actions were taken to make 2020 one of the best years of my life. I lost a lot of opportunities and hit almost none of my goals but what I did do is form new goals and take advantage of what new opportunities there were at this given 2020 situation, even if drastically different and lower of goals than 2020 had planned for it.

I thank God and those I care about for providing everything I am so fortunate to have. I can’t take all the credit for this year being one of the best of my life. I have plenty of work, a fantastic year-old daughter, a loving and supportive wife, and a great family around me. Things could be so worse for me and my family and I am very lucky to have great people in my life.

So many of my favorite restaurants and companies are now out of business permanently but I also did see businesses make large changes in how they operate and bringing creative, innovative ideas to help them thrive during this time.

Though so much of our country became even more divided through politics, racism, and health beliefs, I did see the good of communities coming together to look out for each other like never before. People of very different backgrounds and beliefs were giving the shirt off their back to help others in need who might have opposing backgrounds and beliefs.

We need more optimism and need to focus more on the good. Perhaps that means turning the news off and seeing how your neighbors are doing. Helping others selfishly gives you a great feeling so be selfish more in this way. I surely have not done enough of this and a lot of you have helped a lot of people this year.

The past several years I have developed what I’ve been calling living “90 Days Per Month.” This year has put this hard to the test. Essentially, it breaks the mold of work (or productivity) only being accomplished from 8 AM to 5 PM, or whatever solid 8-hour work block (with lunch in there) you have for “full-time work.” If you lost your job, it doesn’t mean you have to miss out on being productive and finding new ways to fill your day. You also certainly don’t need to take 8 hours to get everything done and could perhaps also get 3X as much done in a day as you had before.

With our new, hopefully temporary, “stay home” lifestyle, let’s take this as an opportunity to look at new ways to grow and make positive changes within our own lives. Though “working remotely” has been around for a very long time, now that we are forced to, it is now acceptable to not have to go to a physical location to get things done. We are also seeing that you certainly don’t have to just work between 8 AM and 5 PM. Now is the time to find a new career, a new way to reinvent your current career, learn new skills, take up new hobbies, spend time with more people you care about, the list is endless.

It is not that easy for those who have jobs where they must tend to a post, such as a cash register, and interact with customers in-person. This pandemic has drastically harmed the jobs of industries, such as the service industry, at physical locations. But people and those jobs are adapting.

With our new, hopefully temporary, “stay home” lifestyle, let’s take this as an opportunity to look at new ways to grow and make positive changes within our own lives. Though “working remote” has been around for a very long time, now that we are forced to, it is now acceptable to not have to go to a physical location to get things done. We are also seeing that you certainly don’t have to just work between 8 AM and 5 PM. Now is the time to find a new career, a way to reinvent your current career, learn new skills, take up new hobbies, spend time with more people you care about, the list is endless.

See the good in this time as an opportunity to not waste time on traveling somewhere to accomplish things. You have the internet and endless opportunity from your couch. Don’t dwell on what was taken from you but hold your hands out and receive what is new and now available.

Look at the world through this new lens as it is now changed. You can have “90 days per month” to truly live an enriched life from your own home by fitting more into your days. In many cases, you can start your productivity as early as you like but still fit tons of time in there with your family, hobbies, special projects, home improvements, afternoon hikes, finishing the “work” day well before 5 PM or even at midnight if you wish.

Let’s learn from all that happened in 2020 and make 2021 a fantastic year, even if it just looks like Round 2 of 2020. Take this as an opportunity of growth as a person. Reinvent your career and shape it into what works during this time. Start a new business. Learn new skills and take up new hobbies. Spend a lot more time with your loved ones and grow those relationships.

Reshape yourself into something better and surely do not let all the negative things happening in the world stop you from it. What is happening immediately in front of you, in your own home and neighborhood, is certainly more important to your life than what is going on in Washington.