This morning I saw an update on my phone talking about getting ready for the new year. The title of the article was something along the lines of “Good Riddance 2020.” Allow me to channel my inner Dennis Miller here. Now I don’t wanna go on a rant here, but….

I am thankful for 2020. I am not a fan of each of the individual challenges it has presented, but I am thankful for the year itself. Anything I survive is something I can find reasons to be grateful for. 2020 very much included. This year has been incredibly challenging on so many levels, but there are so many lessons I’ve learned this year that will have a lasting positive impact on my life. These lessons are largely those which can only be learned through adversity.

One of the biggest of these lessons is to appreciate each and every single minute, day, and year I have on Earth, 2020 included. If I were to push this year aside and do my best to rush past it I would be missing the point. If I were to look to slamming the door on 2020 and told it not to let the door hit it in the ass I’d risk not being fateful for each and every moment I had left in 2020.

If I were to die tomorrow and knew it would be the case would I rush it away as the entire year has been challenging? No way! I’d find a way to savor each last moment and breath – even the difficult parts. My time is so limited and finite, I must remember to appreciate each moment of it. As I’ve often learned, the most difficult moments in my life are often my turning points, my opportunity to grow and improve, to close the gap between who I am and who I should be, and have created and led to some of the most joyful memories of my life. Yes, it hurts in the moment, but if I’m smart I find a way to soak in the pain, use it as fuel, learn from it, use it, and live better and more joyfully as a result of it.

Good riddance 2020? Hell no! 2020 – thank you for the challenges you’ve presented. I would have preferred a little less adversity, but that was not in my control. 2020, you provided me opportunity to grow in many unexpected ways and while you’ve left some scars they are ones I’ll look to fondly as they helped me live more into the life I was meant to live. Thank you for showing me the power of gratitude to rise above pain, showing me more of the depth of the gap between who I am and I am should be, and for providing me opportunity to continue closing that gap. While I can’t honestly say I’ve enjoyed every moment of 2020, I’m grateful for each breath I’ve taken in 2020.

One of the lessons I’ve also learned from 2020 is how much I’ve let momentum and gravity guide my path over the past few years. There’ve been many reminders of what brings me the most joy in life, what I hope to accomplish, and habits I need to re-shape and focus on.

Earlier today I spent some quiet time reviewing my Dream Journal. I went through each of the past three dream lists I’ve created – each including over 100 dreams I hoped to accomplish. There’s also a section walking me through which ones I’ve already accomplished.

By taking time to review both it helped me see I need to spend time in thought re-creating / updating my dream list based on lessons learned over the past couple of years. Once I have those completed I can set my Top 3 goals for 2021 (although I’ve already started jotting some down) and then get my 2021 personal plans in line with where I feel called to be. This is very different than the past couple of years in which I’ve let momentum and gravity pull me along through life. I will live proactively and with purpose more so than I have in recent years.

Thanks!!!