Stop New Years Resolution, start by reflecting your year 2020!

Why is it so important?

The year is almost behind us. Therefore let us recognise how much it has changed in how we live and work. All of us, have faced this peculiar year with courage. I guess we are all on the same page that this year was a very special year. No one thought that a small virus, which has started in March in Europe will go beyond summer or beyond the year 2020 and will create such a massive disruption in our day to day lives. But be honest, with the different lock-downs and completely disrupted daily structures we had and still having, we all learned to cop with massive change.

It may not be obvious, but let me explain you the biggest challenges and biggest learnings of 2020. We found meaning in this chaotic year, to pause and reflect on the lessons we have learned and how we have grown. 2020 was about finding joy in the simple things and laughter with a few close friends connecting with friends and family near and far and for being present in nearly every moment because moments are too precious to waste. 2020 was about being grateful for what you have — knowing that is and always was, enough. But this year was also hard and frustrating and it’s okay to say it out loud.

Biggest Challenges:

This year we all had different hats on, from being a psychologist, a therapist, a teacher, a mother, a father, a co-worker, a boss, a loved one, a wife, a husband, a friend, a daughter, a son, a cook, a cleaner, a doctor, a sports trainer and so much more, while not losing it all. We had to immediately change our daily habits. We changed the way we work and we find it now “normal” to not touch, to not shake hands, to not hug when we meet and to keep a distance between us. This year destroyed our Eastern and our Christmas together with close family which makes us all sad. The five biggest challenges have been and still are the following:

• Homeschooling our kids. This is and was hard, its not over yet, but we found ways to introduce it in our daily routine. We have more understanding bosses, colleagues (at least, the ones who also have kids) when kids have to finish their homeschooling. Having more kids with different ages makes it even more challenging to keep up the different school books and tasks.
• Back-pains from different teleworking stations. Back-pains are really annoying and if you once had it you know what I am talking about. We have all our different working stations from the kitchen table, to the living room table or sitting on the bed, on the sofa or the worst case on the toilet, wherever we are not disrupted by our kids or animals.
• Isolation and Loneliness. The isolation is real and is still ongoing. Through different lock-down rules, we can’t meet our family or close friends to hang out with them and talk to them. Social interaction is something which is more then important but has suffered a lot this year.
• Cooking. Everyone even without having kids realised that cooking this year was a big part of every daily activity. If you have kids you realize how important it is to precook at least lunch and something prepared for dinner, otherwise you will loose your mind if every hour your kids will say “I am hungry again!” This led to new recipes, ideas and even new bought cooking equipment.
• Human contact and Work Life Balance. The human contact is incredible important as this is one of our social aspects of being human. The Work Life Balance was even harder to manage for some, because you are tempted to always work, even late night, when the kids are in bed or even without kids finish something on the weekend.

Before you now think about your New Years Resolution stop for a second… All of these challenges have also something good. Let’s reflect on it together. Did you know that 80% of the New years resolutions fail because they are not specific enough or people forget about them. With the “change mindset” of this year I encourage you to change it to a reflection of the current year.

“Remember that no virus can stop universe plans for you! Your best days are yet to come!”

The most underrated lessons of 2020 are:

• Setting up of new routines
• Daily walk s— Fresh Air Power hour is crucial and a daily must
• Self-care is essential and important
• Mediation helps with the inner healing
• Stay informed but not absorbed in all the media
• Value truth and autencity
• Making time for your loved ones

I have learned to be grateful and to try to remain positive even at times when I am overwhelmed with things I wish were different. It truly humanized and made our business interactions more intimate and authentic than ever, and because of that we grew closer. No longer do we pretend we are not parents, spouses, daughters, sons, caregivers, or pet lovers. We struggled, laughed, brainstormed, innovated, and basically survived this pandemic together.

After this year you can clearly say YOU ARE NEEDED. And your presence is essential. You are needed — your passion, your heart, your mind, your creativity, your compassion and your empathy. So don’t sit on the sidelines, questioning your place. You belong here. So do your best, lean into wisdom, take with you wise counsel, take action and whenever and however you can, thats all its required from you.

Biggest learnings

My biggest learnings and new daily habits of 2020 have been:

• My biggest learning was that every little change, even when it is very tiny can lead to a tremendous change in your life. Starting small e.g. 8 minutes yoga each day, 8 minutes writing each day, 8 mins writing down your finances will change over time to an incredible new lifestyle. Once this small habit formed, it is unlikely to be forgotten.
• I started to meditate each day in the morning and evening (in my bed), if I do it first thing in the morning and last thing in the evening, sitting in my bed, I won’t be distracted.
• Meal Prepations plan for the whole week, this made my live tremendously easier then before. Each Sunday I am preparing the whole weeks meal plan.
• I started to publish again articles. I loved to write, normally more work related publications, but I realised that for my mental health and without discussion with friends, I need to write down my thougths and ideas. Having unfortunately less work then normal, I had more free time to think what is my true passion. And part of it being creative, having ideas, and write them down.
• I have read at 8 new books this year, which changed a lot of my thinking and made huge effects on my living. From books about sleep, which meant increasing my sleep intake from 6 hours to at least 7–8 hours per day, to changes in my daily diet to a plant-based diet, to financial books on how to set up your life to become financial free to building long lasting habits in your life.
• I wrote down our family core values. What is important for us, where we want to go and what we want to avoid? One of the important parts is continues learning to grow .
• And I realised to be not shy to getting help with the household chores. Acknowledge that its important to ask for help.

So now it is your turn! Start to reflect your year. You have a view hours left, start now. Don’t procrastinate, just start and do it. Take a pen and a paper and start writing it down, or type it in your phone.

Reflecting on 2020 is crucial, start by:

• What are you truly grateful this year?
• What is something new you have learned?
• What is something positive you want to remember from 2020?

Why is it so important? Because this will lead you to a great start into 2021 and even though it is challenging you will realise YOU CAN DO IT and YOU ARE NEEDED and we are all in it TOGETHER.