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As the year comes to a close, there is no better time than now to take a look back at all of the great things that happened in 2020.
The month of December actually marks my one year anniversary of when I started blogging. I officially launched the blog on January 1st, 2020 soon after. Though the year 2020 has been a wild ride, I am so grateful for all of the highs, lows, lessons and blessings it has shown me.
I think it’s safe to say that the year 2020 has tried a lot of us in areas of our lives like never before. The year has exposed so much and has opened our eyes to a lot of things. Despite all of the madness, it has taught me about the power of gratitude and why that is so important.
Here are some major takeaways from this year for me:
Table of Contents
The Power of Gratitude
Gratitude is an interesting concept because it has definitely been the greatest takeaway for me in 2020. The act of gratitude is the quality of being grateful/thankful for what you have and showing your appreciation for it all. I’ve never felt more grateful for my family, friends, life, talents, and my spiritual connection with my Heavenly Father.
In 2020, I also got into the habit of practicing gratitude every day. With the help of this meditation, I was able to repeat gratitude affirmations to myself. This gave me a lot of motivation to be positive and never take anything for granted.
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It’s Okay To Begin Again
At the start of the year when I launched the blog on January 1st, I had no idea what I was doing and the amount of work it would take to keep it going. I feel like I’ve learned so much in one year and I still have so much to learn in the upcoming year.
Lately on the blog, I haven’t been consistent with posting and promoting as I would like to be. Recently, I got a new job and have been super busy with work to do much of anything. To me, to begin again means knowing when to take a break when you need to so that you can come back 10x times harder with a clear mind.
In my personal life, I needed to take a break from things that weren’t serving me. This year alone, I have quit more jobs than ever before. There were moments where I was not happy with the work situation I found myself in. My mental health and emotional health was suffering. I got tired and I just wanted better in my life and wanted to feel as free as possible doing what I love.
Every time I would quit and focus my energy on my blog (which brought me great happiness), I would feel very much out of my comfort zone because I was so used to working a particular routine before. And since I was no longer working in my usual routine, it felt weird for me to just blog and do my own thing.
Although it was uncomfortable, the feeling gave me the chance to begin a new path in my life and find a job I actually like while working on my blog part time.
Never Take Anything For Granted
When Thanksgiving rolled around, it seemed a lot more impactful this year compared to previous years. On Thanksgiving Day, I felt so thankful for my health, my family’s well being and thankful that I was still alive to see another day — especially knowing that not so many people weren’t as lucky.
I also learned in 2020 that you cannot take anything for granted. Make sure to cherish the little things and be grateful for what you still have or can do. Examples can include being around loved ones, breathing air, the ability to use all of your senses, and being able to experience life.
Material Things Don’t Make You Happy
Another takeaway that was huge for me this year was the concept of having material things. When I was in high school, I felt like everyone had one thing that they’d splurge on. My splurging thing was clothes and shoes. If I saw any clothes or a good looking pair of shoes, I had to have it.
Purchasing those items made me so happy and made me feel good to show it off. With the lockdown occurring this year, I realized that none of the material items that once made me happy — none of it mattered! The temporary happiness that it brought me was not real! Now, I’m in the process of trying to get rid of a majority of the items, give them to people that actually need them, and find happiness in the minimal items that I do have.
Protect Your Wellbeing At All Cost
Aside from practicing gratitude, protecting my mental health, emotional health and overall well-being has become a primary focus for me in 2020. I take self-care so much more seriously than I did before. Though self-care is different for everyone, it’s important for us to protect our wellbeing at all costs.
Try to find safe self-care activities that you enjoy and do them often. Figure out where you would like to be emotionally, physically, spiritually, socially, and mentally within a year, set goals, and work towards them.
Check out this 30-Day Self-Care Challenge to give you some ideas of what you can add to your own self-care journey.
You Are Stronger Than You Think
One of the major things I learned from this year is that I am mentally stronger than I thought. I used to struggle a lot with overthinking and using my emotions to control my behavior. In 2020, I learned to not react as quickly to certain things based on emotion, but to use logic to get what I want from difficult situations.
It also helped to write out my struggles about taking things personally and overcoming confrontation anxiety. Writing in 2020 has definitely helped me get out all of my thoughts and feelings trapped inside for so long. It has also helped me think things through clearly before reacting to a particular situation.
Stop Worrying About Things You Can’t Control
Oh man, this was a great lesson for me as well in 2020. There were so many things that I wish I could have controlled or fixed but it was completely out of my hands. My anxiety was a big part of what was keeping me up at night sometimes. Also, the death tolls in the country as a result of the pandemic and the rising racial tensions did not help either.
Honestly, one thing that helped to ease my anxiety was my daily connection with God. Every time I would pray, I would feel 10x lighter than I did before. All my worries and cares would just be spoken/given to him and I would feel better again. I definitely appreciate the love and kindness that the Lord has shown throughout the 2020 season.
You Are Exactly Where You Need To Be
After seeing the movie Soul, I feel like I am exactly where I need to be in my life. Enjoying the little and big moments all while pursuing my dreams is my ongoing mission.
For those that have not seen this AMAZING movie, I feel like it gives a great overview of appreciating the simple things that life has to offer. As 2020 has shown up and showed out, it’s important to appreciate life while you still have it because not everyone is as lucky.
And yes, it’s great to chase your dreams and go after what you want but never forget that life is short and we need to live every moment happily as if it were our last.
Count Your Blessings
Though 2020 has been a sh*t show, I am very grateful for all of the small and great blessings that have occurred in my life.
I got to collaborate with my blogger friend on this article about 7 Ways To Be Authentic In A Picture Perfect World.
I got interviewed by Four Columns of a Balanced Life.
I got the opportunity to collaborate with one of the biggest magazine companies, Susquehanna Style in my local area writing and broadening my brand The Cheetah Buzz on their site.
I started meditating, taking care of myself a lot more, and strengthening my relationship with God.
I also never got sick this year which has definitely been a blessing for sure.
I also paid off more student loans in 2020 than I’ve ever done in previous years.
Just recently, I started a new job doing what I love to do, which is awesome! So life has definitely been good by the grace of God and can only get better from here.
Looking Ahead
I am super excited for the lessons and blessings that 2021 will offer. I believe that 2021 will be a year of hustle and rebalancing. After all we’ve been through in 2020, I hope that this year is a year of prosperity and blessing, one after the other.
I’m hopeful for peace, joy, happiness, and for circumstances to get better in everyone’s lives in every way possible. Let everything you touch this year be prosperous for you, amen!
Now that 2020 is over, what are you most hopeful for in the New Year? Do you have a New Years Resolution? If so, what are they? I’m curious.
Please let me know down in the comments below.
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You are amazing, love x I am so truly thankful I got to meet you in 2020! Can’t wait to get closer this year x
Aww KC, thank you sis!! Getting to know you in 2020 was definitely one of the best highlights of 2020. Cheers to many more to come xxx