2021 - Yes We Can

It is time to shake of 2020! Whatever wounds you have endured over this past year will soon become scars. However, now is the time to start stepping into your future. But wait! Covid is still out there, lockdowns are still very real, and I still have to wear a mask everywhere I go. How can I move forward with all these restrictions still in place? Well, let me offer a few suggestions on how to start 2021 with a bang and leave 2020 in the shadows of your memory.

Goodbye 2020

The first step for a new start in 2021 is to say goodbye to 2020. Write a letter to 2020. This is a time to unleash everything you felt in the past year, all the anxiety, fear, pain, and frustration. Get it all out on paper. Starting with January and go through the months of 2020 and let it all out. Go through your photos as a reminder of everything you experienced over the past twelve months. Make sure you get it all out and then -- destroy the letter. Shred it, burn it, crumple it into the smallest ball of paper you can; I don't care how you destroy it, just get rid of it and with it, all the emotions you experienced in 2020. Finally, take a few moments to sit in silence and reflect on how you feel now. Are you feeling a little more energized and motivated that you can face 2021? Good! Let's get started.

Get Back to Normal

It's time to start getting back to a normal routine as much as you possibly can. I know 2020 brought us restrictions on affairs we never imagined like going into your favorite coffee shop or even going into the office. You have lived with these restrictions for months now. You know what they are, but you also know they are on the verge of being lifted. It won't happen all at once, but as 2021 marches forward, familiar privileges will return.

Take a moment to revisit your old routines - morning (click here for my moring routine must-dos), exercise, and work. What did your day look like before the pandemic? What part of your routine were you able to keep this year? What part of your routine was disrupted? Can some of the habits you had to give up begin again? For example, going to the gym every morning was your routine, but then the gym closed. Has it reopened? Did you find a better workout routine from home? Take this time to find a way to reintegrate old habits back into your routine. What if your favorite coffee shop closed because of the pandemic? The tragic loss of small businesses caused by C0vid is very real, but now is the time to find the small coffee shop that did survive and bring them your business. Continue with the routines that helped you in the past and start to layer old familiar habits back in as restrictions start to lift over the next twelve months.

Intention for 2021

Finally, it is time to set goals again. You didn't think I would write about starting a new year without talking about goals, did you? Again, you now know what the world looks like in the midst of a pandemic. Now is the time to look at the goals you set for 2020 that were so rudely interrupted. If you had travel goals, revisit them and set a plan to make them work for 2021. If you had personal development goals that were put on hold because workshops or conferences were canceled, check them out again. Even if they aren't running a face to face meeting this year, they may be offering something virtually. Go through all the goals you had that you couldn't get done in 2020 and make a plan for how you can get to them in 2021. Maybe 2020 set you on a new track and your old intentions no longer serve you. That is ok, take this time to set new objectives and then lay out a plan to reach them by the end of the year.

Think Big for 2021

One more important thing I recommend you do as you enter the new year. Think big! Set one big intention to get outside your comfort zone by the end of the year. Learn a new skill or train for the impossible. One detrimental thing 2020 did was bring back a lot of fear and anxiety. One of the best ways to overcome fear is to overcome challenges you didn't think were possible. Don't be afraid to set goals. We don't know what 2021 will bring, but after 2020, we know we will survive whatever may come. It's time to slowly start living again.

Let 2020 know that it didn't win! That you will no longer live in fear or frustration. What are you waiting for? Put on your mask and walk into 2021 shouting "Yes I Can!"