It’s been a pretty monumental year, huh?
I don’t think much of anything happened this year, right?
Last week in recording our podcast Kim had mentioned the blog idea of 20 things learned in 2020.
I said, “why don’t we both do it.”
I think it’s always cool to see different peoples lists, even though we both went through 2020 together, we may have learned different things.
Anywho, here’s what I reflected on as lessons learned or just good ol’ reminders that really got brought out in 2020.
1.The work you put in may not be noticed until it’s too late.
This is by far the biggest lesson from 2020, and if I had to summarize it into one lesson it would be this one.
And I’m honestly not sure I’ll be able to capture it fully.
There are so many times when we’re doing something and we just don’t “see” any result.
Maybe we’re working on our health, trying to stay consistent, building some habits, but we just can’t see any result.
Well, I think we would all agree, those who were healthy going into March were in a bit of a better position than those who were not.
And unfortunately, although it’s important to keep it up, so much of it was a direct reflection of what you did prior to the pandemic.
All of those workouts, building up that immune system, working on that cardiovascular health, it may not be everything, but it definitely helped this year.
Or, think of it from the business side.
I’ve always been big on every business needing to build a community around itself, not just a transaction, but a relationship.
That comes with a ton of sacrifices…
Often times it means a lot of work from the team that doesn’t have any real measure at the moment, but in times of crisis, if you have a strong community, they’ll support you through it.
There are so many other examples, but just remember, there are so many things in life where we can’t see why we’re doing them at the moment, but then they payoff during times like this.
2. The people on your team this year will be on your team for life
Ten, twenty, thirty years from now we’ll be reflecting back on 2020 and it will be one of those times when we say “remember when…”
And although we’ll remember the events, we’ll more so remember the people that supported us and helped us through this year.
The people on your “team” in 2020 will be with you for life.
If they helped and supported you in 2020, they are true team players.
And let it be clear, when I say team I’m not referring to your work team (although that’s true too), I’m talking about your personal team, your circle.
Who supported you?
Who was available to talk to when you needed it most?
Those people are truly part of your inner circle and have shaped your life.
3. Look For The Helpers
Mr. Rogers said, “in scary times look for the helpers.”
In times of crisis, there are always helpers, and that has been so true this year.
There has been so much bad, so much.
But…
What about all of those helpers?
All of the health care workers…
All of the people who donated money, time, and goods…
There are always helpers.
4. Look For The Leaders.
Just like there are always helpers in times of crisis, there are always leaders (often the same people).
And no, I’m not talking about the job title or what it says on a resume.
I’m talking about the people that don’t back down when things get tough, that don’t get quiet, but instead, pick a direction, and go for it.
When moments are tough there some people that shrivel up and hide, they get quiet, they get fearful, and decisions freeze them.
This year there had to be people who took charge, took ownership, communicated often, and had to make a lot of decisions, a lot of tough decisions, with no real-time to marinate on it or to dwell on it, they just had to take imperfect action.
Leaders take imperfect action all day.
5. Empathy is the highest skill one can have
There were a lot of opinions this year…
Opinions of the way things should be done, decisions that should be made, etc.
I read a great line the other day that hit this lesson home…
“Opinion is really the lowest form of human knowledge. It requires no accountability, no understanding. The highest form of knowledge is empathy, for it requires us to suspend our egos and live in another world.”
Although we all lived through 2020, we all experienced it in our own ways.
We have all been impacted in our own ways.
The biggest skill we can carry forward into 2021 is empathy.
The ability to put yourself in the other person's shoes, not just share your opinion, but truly listen and understand where they’re coming from, to share their feelings with them.
It takes work, but we can get there.
I’ll be back tomorrow with part two of 20 things learned in 2020.
1% Better.
Dedicated To Your Success,
Doug Spurling