Happy New Year!
During my time off, I sat down to think about some of the biggest lessons/findings that came out of 2020 for me. I didn’t want this year to end off feeling like “I just survived 2020.”
The truth is, I’ve struggled with my feelings throughout this season– almost like survivor’s guilt. Although I did not experience the extreme hardship of this year like I know too many people did (and still do), 2020 was CHALLENGING AF for me.
And out of the challenges come gratitude, learning and resilience. So here are some of my 2020 lessons (Leave a comment to let me know which one resonates with you the most or to share some of your 2020 lessons.)
1. When faced with a choice, always choose the path of least resistance: What if it were easy, what would that look like? — sometimes I think we get caught up in making things more difficult than they need to be.
2. Never let a good disaster go to waste. The pandemic challenged me to think about how to leverage this period of time. This helped me to feel like I had some control over my own situation.
3. Structure gives you freedom. It is extremely important that I save my energy for the actions I intentionally want to give my energy to. The more structure in my day (and life) the less energy I waste.
4. Pick your ‘very few’ battles. This one relates more to me than anything else. I let go of a lot of battles this year in the name of saving my energy for things that intentionally matter to me. I walked away from some toxic people and have learned to limit my interactions with those I can’t avoid.
5. Invest in help. Oh man, did I ever invest in help this year. Thank God for family, friends and coworkers who resemble both! I have zero intention of being a martyr who tries to do it all — I don’t want to do it all. I want to do very little actually! A big shout out to those who’ve helped me accomplish this! 😉
6. Opportunities always exist. Oh my, do they ever. This year was filled with abundant opportunities. For the first time ever, the entire world was forced online. What a gift… a lot of the barriers to operating online were broken which opened the floodgates. How many new online businesses were founded in 2020 (my Etsy shop for one). I can’t wait to hear the stories in 3-5 years from now about how the pandemic forced them to pivot or start something new and how successful they’ve become.
7. Sorry Not Sorry. “I’m sorry I didn’t call you back.” “I’m sorry I didn’t respond to your message right away.” “Ignore my messy kitchen.” “Ignore the dog toys strung from one end of the house to the other.” There were many times where I felt the urge to apologize for something. I realized the only reason I felt that way is because of the expectations that others have such as: I should have a Pinterest style kitchen or respond to a text within minutes of it being sent– so I just didn’t apologize and remarkably nothing happened 🙂
8. What if this is all just a game, like a TikTok Challenge. I sometimes think like this. Maybe it’s a coping mechanism and even if it is, I’m all for it. I am here for Growth. So, if my life is a TikTok Challenge, then of course there will be tests, challenges, battles, wins and losses. These challenges and tests are here to show me what I’m made of…
9. Have financial security. In March, I started to allocate money to an emergency fund. I wanted to have 6 months of house payments stored away so that if the pandemic continued beyond the 30 days we were originally told, we wouldn’t be in dire straits (been there, done that, will blog about it eventually). Having a solid 6+ months of mortgage gave me peace of mind and ensures that I have financial security. It allowed me to make decisions from a place of security vs fear. This Dave Ramsey book gave me a new perspective on what we should be doing with our money.
10. If you don’t like it. Change it– it’s that simple. I’ve done this for my entire life. I make decisions. Execute on them. And then if I don’t like it, I change it. Quickly. But sometimes I forget this simple concept and I get stuck in a rut or I rationalize the crappy feelings because of other people’s feelings or opinions but then I am the one who pays the price… if something isn’t working for me, I have the right to change it. Even if the thing that isn’t working is a big thing or a big deal to others. If it’s not working for you, change it.
What lessons are you taking away from 2020? I’d love for you to share some with me. Send me a DM over on Instagram, I’m @mrs.dandymandy (business) or @mandy_yeoman (personal) or @izzy.and.scout.the.aussies (pups account)
Before ending this last email of 2020, I want to say thank you.
Thank you for choosing to be here and for the support you gave to me personally and professionally this year. Thank you for sharing your journey with me and for allowing me to be a part of yours.
Here’s to BIG GROWTH in 2021…