The Year 2020 by Jason Hewlett
“Worst year ever!”
“Can’t wait until this one’s over!”
“The dumpster fire that is 2020.”
Plenty of lines and ways to describe a most indescribable year.
We’ve heard them all, and said most of them, in an effort to put into words what has been experienced.
I believe it is justified, so don’t think I’m not on the bandwagon as well, since I’ve shared my version of all of these, too.
And as we come into the final month of this year it is ironic, because when I think of years past where I have also thought similar things, including 2019, 2018, 201… (for example, I once wrote a song with opening lyrics, “2009, Oh it wasn’t a pretty year, all I can say is I’m glad it’s no longer here…”), my fear is that this kind of thinking is becoming a trend in our way of looking at the year that has passed…no matter the year…and our hope next year is that much better.
But especially 2020.
It will be hard to top the bottoming-out that encompassed 2020.
Or…
Or, we could see it for what it’s helped us create of tragedy, suffering, and being backed into a corner.
Having not been on an airplane and traveling the world, as has been my work for 20 years, 2020 has forced me to regroup, rethink, recreate my entire way of life, making a living, and delivering what I still can for an audience that is starving for connection, engagement, entertainment, and education…but without a budget!
Yes, my bank account went from one of health and abundance to a storage unit I opened weekly with one eye open, as it dwindled to single digits.
Yes, my prospects and clients bailed one by one on a year that was set up to be pretty epic, and suddenly wiped clean a calendar filled to the brim to create an empty white board of lost opportunity.
Yes, my family asked if we were still going on the road trip across America and Canada we have been planning for years, only to see us put the RV on the market for need of selling it or making our house payment, and then putting my car and all else on the chopping block.
My friends, your stories are as real and painful as mine—perhaps more!—be it in health, wealth, or “simply” inconvenience. It is all relative. And I am so sorry you have been through what you’ve been through!
But, and this is a BIG BUT: Can we see that MUCH GOOD has come from this necessity to reinvent?
A dwindling bank account will see you cut expenses like few things can, going only for necessity and finally getting under control what has been perhaps an illusion in the Keeping Up with the Joneses phenomenon.
A job that is no longer a way to make a living can open up new possibilities to create, serve, give, and offer value in ways you’ve never had time to explore.
A trip of a lifetime that now doesn’t happen allows for introspection and more time with loved ones in the home, togetherness, reliability on those closest to us, exploring the beauty of the world immediately around us.
As a family we were still able to go to Moab, Utah, a short four-hour drive from our home, and most beautiful & otherworldly kind of place. Thankful for that!
I know I’m a person who relies on the comedic side of things, and that’s important as well now more than ever—to laugh—but I also want to point out what good has come of this most interesting year, from the perspective of someone who really acknowledges it has been profoundly impacting.
Try this little simple exercise—
List three things (or more if so inclined) that were awesome for you in 2020.
You could start with phrases like:
2020 has taught me…
In 2020 I was forced to…
I am grateful for 2020 because…
And then list out a few of the positives.
Here’s mine—
2020 has forced me to:
Be Brave. To watch it all go away (events, cashflow, stability) and believe I could still make it, and then prove that I could.
Be Fearless. To try things (video, virtual, launching a book with a publisher) I never have before and succeed!
Act Quick. To be ahead of the curve while watching peers and heroes waiting for things to get better.
I’d love to see your thoughts, in the comments below, if you’re willing to inspire me as well.
I know 2020 will always be a year with an asterisk, but perhaps it could be a tipping point for all of us in living our Promise at another level. I know that’s what it will be for me.
Jason Hewlett is a leadership expert, author, Hall of Fame speaker, and award-winning entertainer. His book The Promise to The One is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million, Porchlight Book Company, Google Play, Apple Books. This article originally appeared here on The Promise blog and has been edited for inclusion on The Sound Wisdom Blog. Subscribe for more inspiring content from Sound Wisdom.