December is here and what will surely be one of the most memorable years in our lives is coming to an end. I am not hesitant to say that this year brought all of us a lot of learning, adaptation, some blessings, many challenges but most of all, a new way to see life. From those who can still see 2020 in a lighthearted way to those who were deeply affected by it and may even be grieving, I am sure all of us have a story, or at least a life changing lesson we learned.
We were collectively pushed to break old habits and quickly build new ones. Some had to learn to be alone, some to tolerate the presence of others. Our family and friendship bonds were tested by the pandemic and the way we individually handled it. We all became hyperaware and hypercritical as we tried to understand all the different sources of information dealing with COVID-19 and the U.S presidential elections. It was all too much too quickly, and as time passed we became less confident in things going “back to normal.”
When I look back to December last year and think about the countless plans I made and all of the things I imagined were going to happen in 2020 I feel almost naive. As many others, my life took an unexpected, rather dramatic turn that made me reconsider every single one of those plans, abandoning many and having to pivot drastically. My life a year ago is completely different from my life now, and even though I had to endure some painful changes, I am deeply grateful for them. I went from living in Paris, engaged and ready to get married, to living alone in Washington, DC, working in a completely different industry and learning to adapt to singledom, everything in between was so intense that it almost seems like a blur.
As the end of the year approaches, I decided to take a good look at the past 11 months before embarking on any new resolutions. Of the things I wanted to accomplish this year, which were a success, which were a failure, unrealistic or a total bust? I want to reflect on my actions with an unbiased and transparent lens that allows me to be more honest about the things I’m doing right, the things that need work and those that I need to leave behind. 2021 is no longer about a clean slate that I’ll fill with all new things, but a continuation of the work I’ve been doing this year, a work in progress.
If I learned something this year is that sometimes trusting the process and feeling things out as they come is the best way to arrive at a desired outcome. Do set clear goals, do establish timelines, but always be ready to adapt to unforeseen circumstances, without attaching yourself to one single possible path to success.
Here at Bridges we would love to hear from you: what were your greatest lessons this year, your challenges, your drastic changes and how did you adapt to them? How are you approaching your goal setting and resolutions for 2021? Write to us at juliana@bridgesunite.com we would love to read and share some of your answers in our newsletter and social media.