3 words to define your 2020
The road of enhancement
As 2020 approached, like you, I was planning how to be financially stable. I was about to buy loads of dividend stocks. I was poised to start the process for my permanent residency in Canada, and I was planning to travel to India. All these planning and then Canada announced the first case of Coronavirus on January 22.
Well, 2020 started on a negative note, a lot of worlds changing events happened, for example, Iran airplane crash in January, and Kobe Bryant’s death in the same month made everyone very sad. Of course, I’ve hidden negative feelings well, but I am not immune.
I vividly remember how it felt when everything was okay. There was no crisis, and everybody was outside, attending the bar, clubs, house parties. A few were meeting friends and strategizing the next steps in the business with teammates. People were going to Post Malone’s concerts, filling the NBA stadiums to watch LeBron, heck I was planning to go to NHL match to watch Vancouver Canucks with my friend. Then everyone was asked to stay at home. Suddenly, my life was upside-down. I got laid off and had to apply for Employee Insurance.
Before 2019 ended, I found these 3 words to define my 2020.
- Attitude
- Solitude
- Gratitude
To make sense, I had these three words undefined in the first quarter of 2020. This is how I would have defined my 2020 in any circumstances. My goals will change, but I will recalculate to stay relevant.
Attitude — Having a forward-looking outlook is essential to define your 2020. Informally, attitude means uncooperative behavior. But I describe it as self-confidence and openness toward the opportunities. No matter what comes into your way, have confidence, and embrace the challenge with an open mindset. You should have a fresh perspective than others. As the outlook continues to be grim, try to grasp it and take advantage of the grim situation. Use it to your advantage. Motivation will make or break your attitude.
When shutdowns, we announced, it thrilled me because I get to stay at home and work from home. But I was unfortunate to take advantage of the privilege. For the first three weeks, I did nothing but waste my time, elegantly. Then it hit me; if I do nothing, I will sideline my ambitions, and I will not achieve my goals. Gladly, I fixed that to work on the things I like and projects that I want to do!
Solitude —Be in peace with yourself. In this environment, we digitally connect with people who are thousands of miles away. Though having contact with the outside world is good, but do not forget that you also need to connect with yourself. I get it; Since you are an extrovert, isolation makes you sick, and you’ll go insane if I suggest you to stay alone for a few hours. Sigh!! The point is to isolate yourself from people and technology, to have at least a day every week to think and plan your life and your goals. It is not too much to ask for.
There are a lot of benefits of being in solitude mode, but I will point out a few of the benefits below:
- You can get more done — In quietness, you can get more things done than being notified continuously by your phone/laptop.
- You learn more about yourself — Who am I? Is it better to know or not to know? When you are alone, you can think about yourself and what type of legacy you want to leave in 5–10 years from now.
- Solitude provides clarity — When you allocate time, you can learn new things about yourself and you can start thinking the same problem with a fresh perspective. You understand animate and inanimate objects. Things become clearer, and answers come naturally.
Gratitude — I wake up with a fresh mind. Yesterday’s most tedious tasks are behind me. A New day means I am open to new challenges. According to my trusty Oxford dictionaries, they describe Gratitude as “the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.” That said, I started being thankful for the most mundane things in my life, my routines, and my habits.
There are countless benefits of having Gratitude, but nothing beats a Gratitude for basic things that we do every day. As these routines define you for the next 5–10 years. Nobody can put the words better than Peter Mckinnon. In his video, he talks about the small everyday stuff, the routines. I share the same idea as Peter. We should take time to appreciate those little moments as they are the building block of you.
2020 is the most significant time to learn and change the industries. I urge you to define your year in three words. If you like, base your 2020 or following years based on my definition. Just like the picture, you have a choice to make. Either make the lockdown work for you or against you. It is a wonderful time to be safe and to be kind.
The distance between your dreams and reality is called “an action.”
