Reflections of 2020: Life Lessons from Another Year

2020 Life Lessons We learned

2020 was a surprisingly terrible year. So many lives lost from the pandemic, economies in shambles, travel bans across the entire world, and global uncertainty. However, every challenge brings with it an opportunity for personal development. If you’ve been following the trend from last year’s insights, we can compound the progression. Here’s everything we learned in 2020.

Take More Calculated Risks

It’s easy to become paralyzed when the fear of the unknown presents itself. Sometimes the greatest opportunities lie at the pinnacle of uncertainty. With a pragmatic approach, you can make better risk-reward decisions using your own logic and reasoning. As the global pandemic continues, travel bans seem to be sporadically appearing and disappearing. I would book flights and hotels no more than a few weeks in advance due to the horrible refund policies. And definitely ban using Hotels.com since they still haven’t given me my money back for a cancelled trip.

Avoid too much Negative Media

We are what we constantly subject our subconscious minds to. With news outlets and social media consistently bombarding us with negative influence, we must take extra care with what content we are consuming. The media controls most of society through emotional manipulation and it’s easy to get swept up in the new hot topic of the day. We have to maintain focus of progressing toward our own goals, instead of wasting energy on situations beyond our control.

Enjoy Doing Nothing

I know all the RiSe aNd gRiNDeRs are going to hate me for this but sometimes it better to do nothing than constantly being busy. It’s one thing to be oriented towards success, but for every single moment of the day to be consumed by thoughts is a bit obsessive. We have to realize our life is not our life situation, along with all its incessant thoughts, problems, and emotional projections. Having a clear mind will help us to live harmoniously in the here and now, and avoid worrying about a future that hasn’t happened or a past that doesn’t exist anymore. Just a few moments of conscious awareness will give you better mental clarity.

Seize Opportunities

Adding to the risk tolerance, if there is an opportunity to do or go somewhere you’ve always wanted, you should take that chance. As long as you stay within the travel safety guidelines, There are many countries that you can visit. Despite the stricter Travel restrictions, we were able to go snowboarding in Colorado, eat delicious food in Miami, gamble with fate in Atlantic City, enjoy the beautiful beaches of Aruba, take a road trip across the entire United States, and see the ancient pyramids in Egypt. Just be sure to check the individual entry requirements.

Embrace Impermanence

There’s a saying in the far east I picked up from my travels to Japan; Mono no Aware. It essentially means that everything is ephemeral, and we should appreciate it while it lasts. The transience of life is pretty much the only guarantee, but that doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing.

Wrapping up 2020

2020 was a very unpredictable year. For all the bad that occurred, I tried to maintain a balance by doing even greater things. Maybe much won’t change in the next day since a year is basically just a continual stream of present moments. Perhaps the collective consciousness can overcome this shroud of negativity. I don’t know what 2021 will bring, but regardless I will continue spending time with the people I care about, traveling the world, and striving towards my own desires. I hope you all get to reflect on this crazy 2020 and have a great new year! Thanks for reading and keep leveling up!