Lessons learned in 2020

There have been plenty of posts stating that 2020 can leave. While I don’t disagree - I don’t want to chalk it all up as a loss. There have been plenty of good things that occurred in 2020 and even more lessons learned.

Below are some of my personal lessons taught by 2020.

Find a hobby

When the world shut down a lot of people learned this one the hard way. We can get so busy making a living that we forget to make a life as the old saying goes. For the longest time I thought all I had time for was work and sleep. When people asked what I did in my spare time or for fun I used to laugh and ask what spare time.

This year I learned how important it is to create spare time. 2020 slowed a lot of us down and showed us what matters most. It also showcased the importance of taking care of our health - physical and mental.

A hobby is a great way to do that. Some hobbies I picked up this year are disc golf, kayaking, reading (I’ve obviously been doing that since I was a kid but I now do it more intentionally), and traveling. These things provide me with an outlet that is so necessary; they also stretch my comfort zone which leads me to my next lesson learned.

It’s ok to be an amateur

The actual definition of amateur is one who engages in a pursuit, study, science or sport as a pastime rather than as a profession. One lacking in experience and competence in an art or science. A devotee, admirer

The second definition is the most commonly interpreted, has a negative connotation and usually means that someone screwed up. However the first and the last one are just as important.

I was recently reading That Sounds Fun by Annie F. Downs and in it she discusses being an amateur a lot. One of my favorite quotes from the book is, “If I only do things I’m great at - or something I can fake greatness at - I will live a very limited life.”

Go back, read that again, I’ll wait. In a world where I feel judged by my accomplishments and bombarded with others highlight reels I feel the pressure to be great at things or at least make others think I am great at something. But how limited will I be if I stay in my comfort zone. This year I have learned it’s brave to be bad at something new. This is one of the biggest lessons I want to take into 2021. Embracing being an amateur.

Work on relationships

2020 showed all of us the importance of face to face relationships; however it limited our capacity to build them. Suddenly almost all of our conversations turned virtual. That switch showed me how important those relationships can be to our mental health and happiness.

So I began to work on making the most of the situation given and cultivating them. I reached out to more people on social media. I began FaceTiming or calling friends more often. I texted people more frequently just checking in.

And instead of making obscure oh we should hang out soon comments, I picked a month that I was free and made a tentative date. I then set a reminder on my calendar to reach out to that person a month prior and begin making concrete plans. That might be extreme for some people, but I’m a planner. Life is short, I don’t want to look back and say man I wish I had lived it more.

I want to spend time with friends in person or online. I want those in my life to know how big of a role they play in my life. So I make a concentrated effort. I will continue that work in 2021.

Get a library card

This one is self explanatory I set a goal to read 50 books in 2020 and I accomplished it! You can find my reading list here. You can also join me on Goodreads (it makes finding, tracking and reviewing books easy).

I read physical books, ebooks and listened to audiobooks. While there are multiple ways to get your hands on books a library card is the most economical. My local library allows me to check out books in all mediums at no cost to me. I do still buy books of course (I bought the That Sounds Fun book by Annie F. Downs I mentioned earlier and I suggest you do too).

I read 50 books without buying 50 books. I was also able to read books that probably would have never crossed my shelf because the library suggested them. If you have a local library I encourage you to join and start utilizing all of the opportunities to learn and grow in 2021.

Find adventure in the little things

This goes along with the the hobbies and amateur lessons learned. 2020 limited countless opportunities for people, but it gave us the ability to find adventure and joy in the small things. A new board game, finishing a surprisingly hard puzzle, enjoying nature or traveling to a far away place via a book.

So often we live in a waiting mindset - I will do that when, I can’t wait until, my life will be better when... But the thing is, what if we’re missing life’s little adventures waiting on the big ones? Adventure looks different for everyone.

Let’s make a promise to ourselves in 2021 that we will look for adventure all around us - enjoy the sunrise at least once, lie in the grass and look at the stars, be more present with your loved ones, get lost in a good book, heck maybe get lost in the real world, don’t own a coffee table you can’t put your feet on and most importantly don’t overlook life’s small adventures and the joy they bring searching for the big ones.