Hello January 2021!

2020 was a year for the books, it turned into one no one was expecting.

It was a year that brought us all together in a way we would never have expected, and showed us that no matter who you are and where you are, you couldn’t not be affected by the fears, confusion and disruptions that 2020 brought with.

2020 moved us into spaces many of us weren’t used to being in. It transformed us; lifestyles, habits, understandings.

It shaped and changed our views and actions, it challenged and broke us, it showed us that we can’t always be in control of everything around us, no matter how hard we try.

If 2020 didn’t change you, I don’t know what would.

The reality is, even though we’re now in a new year and we’re taking a new breath of air, everything hasn’t changed. We’re still living with the virus, we’re still living with restrictions and we’ll still not sure of what this year will bring.

We can’t relax, and might not for quite some time.

Still, I stick to my belief that good things are still to come. Even as we move up and down with the restrictions, I remain hopeful. There is a difference between being optimistic and being naïve. I’m learning to be an optimist instead, because most of last year, I felt like pessimism controlled most of my mental health and emotional state.

These hard restrictions taught us to be resourceful. We learned to adapt to being stuck indoors the whole time (still ongoing). We learned to cook and bake from scratch. We learned how adapt to product shortages and looking for alternative options. Many had to adapt to working remotely while juggling closed schools and the pressure of educating our kids from home. We were thrown into the deep end of many situations, and we know how to handle them a little better should it happen again.

We don’t like staying home, and wearing masks, and social distancing, not seeing our family and friends, but we’re still doing it. We’re resilient. Every day, we take it as it comes, as much as we don’t like it. We survive each day as it comes.

2020 left us with many lessons, hard ones. We learned and we’re still going to be learning as time goes on. We’ll continue learning. As will doctors. As will scientists. Learning more about the virus, learning more about vaccines. Trying to better research to help bring this virus to an end, help us all return back to our lives. We’re all willing to learn too, organize our lives to get through situations, learning to make decisions we’ve probably never had to make before.

I’m not saying things will get better right now. No one can say that, but I choose to believe we can only go upwards.

We need to hold on to that hope, and that faith, and let it carry us forward.

Now let’s talk word of the year!

I don’t do New Year’s Resolutions and I haven’t for many years. After kicking up most of them by March each year, I realised it was futile and a waste of time.

We tend to set up resolutions that aren’t always the most realistic, and when the going gets tough, the tough sometimes just give up. I did add a post yesterday to my social media accounts about REALISTIC resolutions that are actually achievable, if you’re struggling to come up with your own.

Now I have been applying the word of the year concept for the last four years, and I feel it works better because by applying one word to your year, you have a constant reminder to create a positive environment in all aspects of your life.

If you’re new to the concept, it might feel overwhelming because how to you narrow down your intentions to just ONE word? It’s simpler than you think. You can choose your word in just a very easy steps.

This year’s word was actually inspired by my husband, HB, last year. I was struggling to choose a word for this year, because after a year like 2020, where do you go with this year?

Little did I know that the word was with me all this time.

Last year we reconnected with some old friends and afterwards, HB spoke about how great it was to have people that brought substance into our lives and that stuck with me.

It made me rethink relationships in my life. How many of them brought along that substance that filled my life with positivity? How many was I investing in that didn’t reciprocate those feelings?

It didn’t just stop there. How much time was I investing into things that didn’t fulfil me or enrich my life? How many things was I wasting my time on?

So my word for this year is:

I’m going to focus of what brings me, and my family, substance. Good substance.

Relationships. Activities. Decisions. Future plans.

Each aspect of my life will be evaluated to see what needs to be cut back, or out and filled with things I, we, need. To grow, to be happier and to steer away from negativity.

It’s so important to recognise what parts of our lives crave the changes and to apply them for the better. Sure, it might hurt to let some things go, and cut relationships that are more toxic than beneficial, but we need it for our well-being. We need to make changes and invest in the substances that enrich us as individuals, as well our lives, to be happier, to be kinder.

Here’s to 2021. Growth, hope and enrichment.