December is without a doubt, my favourite month of the year. And Christmas my favourite holiday. Perhaps I’m biased slightly by the fact that my birthday is a exactly week before Christmas Day. So, as a big kid inside, I still look forward to my birthday 40-something years after I first made my appearance on God’s good earth.
But that aside, Christmas is a season that symbolises a new beginning (Christ is born) and hope for a better tomorrow (always needed by the time we get to the end of the year).
2020 has been a year to remember and not in a good way. Let’s see, there was and still is COVID-19. Millions have died from the terrible virus and many of them alone and in incredible pain. Businesses across the world have closed down. Thousands of people have lost their jobs. Needless to say, many will not be celebrating this year.
For me personally, one of my businesses thrived, while the other not so much. There were already ongoing problems with the 2nd business and COVID gave me the head space and time to face them onwards. It wasn’t pretty, but much-needed change never is. And just as the business was finding its feet again, the looting post #EndSARS occurred and it felt like we were back to square one.
I heard something on a podcast yesterday that successful and failed businesses tend to have an equal measure of good and bad things happen to them. The difference between the two is that the successful businesses are able to manage the crisis much better than the companies that don’t make it.
So, attitude and grit matters! And 2020 has shown to me that I have that by the bucketload.
So, what were the good things that happened to me this year?
- Rest: Despite becoming initially infected by the webinar fever, I was able to disentangle myself this web and had more time to rest.
- Family Time: I have NEVER spent so much time with my husband and children and well… we have not killed each other and are much better for the quality time spent together.
- Discovering my Creative Side: With the busyness of my life pre-COVID, that creative side of me was comatose. During the lockdown, I decided to start a podcast on a whim and that awakened something in me. Something I don’t think I have felt for a long time. That excitement that comes from starting something new and each day, you can’t wait to start doing it. I interview 12 incredible women in season 1 of The Other Room.
- Writing Again: And speaking of that creative side… if you asked me what I wanted to be as a child, my most consistent answer was to be a writer. Growing up and being sensible killed that. However, writing is something that I have truly enjoyed over the years. Although most of my writing now is for work: funding proposals, reports, emails, interviews, work blog posts and articles, I realised that I was better than the average person at putting words together. And maybe I could do more with it. Well, over the last year or so, I have been seriously considering the possibility of my writing something, but not sure what that something would be. This is still up in the air, but in the meantime, I have completed 2 writing courses and on a 3rd.
- Focusing on What Matters: Just before the pandemic, I was hurtling at warp speed from the moment I opened my eyes to the time I rested my head on the pillow at night. So much to do. Busy. Busy. Busy. I was always Tired. Tired. Tired. And just when I felt like I was falling apart from stress and exhaustion, the lockdown happened and I was forced to stay home. My continued frenetic schedule even during the lockdown forced me to realised that maybe the problem was moi. And so I started to scrutinise my schedule and commitments to see what is truly important and what is less so. And thankfully, I am on the journey to shedding excess weight. By the middle of next year, I hope to be focusing my efforts on those projects and activities that are truly moving me forward towards my goals.
So, this Christmas, despite the difficulties of the year, I WILL celebrate. I am looking forward to my birthday this Friday and have booked my spa service already.
I will get a new hair colour this week to brighten-up my mood and look.
I have bought my Christmas clothes and am looking forward to rocking them as much as COVID will allow.
I have some Netflix recommendations lined up for the days I intend to spend in bed.
I have books galore to read and since my 3rd writing course, have been writing a short story every week. I will keep up the momentum.
I’m not sure how much time I will invest in goal-setting, seeing as how I had such grand plans for this year and circumstances beyond my control came and scattered them. I will definitely keep the vision board I created in 2019, which still has several un-met goals.
In all, I will thank God for His faithfulness, because it could only be He alone who has kept me thus far. And I will look forward to a 2021 that far exceeds 2020 and my expectations for the new year – in a good way.
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