2020 Lessons and 2021 Resolutions: One in the Same “Grace, Grit, and Gratitude”

When we approach the end of one year, and the beginning of a new year, I think it is only natural that most of us reflect on the past year, and think forward about what we hope for the new, upcoming year.

 And this last year has been one for the record books.  For so many, this past year has been beyond difficult.  2020 brought us into a pandemic, and for so many, changed the way we went about our lives. There was a chaos many of us have never seen, and there still lingers an uncertainty most of us struggle to deal with.

But as I look back on the past year, I have realized that the painful, but important lessons of 2020, are also resolutions for the new year.  These are the lessons of grace, grit, and gratitude.

GRACE

When the pandemic first began, so many of us, blissfully unaware of what it would really mean, set all these lofty goals about what we would do with this extra time that we were forced to be home.  

We were going to read books we had been meaning to get to, work out more and lose a few extra pounds, learn to be a better cook, enjoy the time with our kids or spouses, or any other goal we thought needing tackling.

Setting goals is always a good thing, but we would all learn that this pandemic wasn’t simply fun, free time to sit around deciding how to become a better person.  It was, rather, a time when we were faced with limitations, stress, uncertainty, and the only constant—being change, at a moment’s notice.

Maybe you were one of those people who did exactly what you said you would, taking the opportunity to push yourself, find motivation, and accept nothing less than reaching new goals for yourself. 

But maybe, you were like thousands or even millions of people who faced fatigue, fear, sadness, and frustration.  Maybe you meant to do so much more, but just did what you could to keep going—day by day, and moment by moment.

“I do not understand the mystery of grace–only that it meets us where we are and does not leave us where it found us.” -Anne Lamott

And guess what, that is perfectly okay.  2020 taught you that you need to give yourself and others GRACE.  We, as human beings, are constantly inundated with expectations from all around us.  We see versions of others that can make us feel we need to be more than we are, and we hear the media talking about the need to do it all and have it all, and it leaves us feeling less than.  But sometimes the best thing anyone can do for themselves and others is to give grace. 

Grace is a gift.  It doesn’t mean you don’t continue to strive to be the best version of yourself, or that you don’t set goals—but it does mean you forgive yourself and others when we fall short.  You don’t berate yourself for failing, you honor yourself for your efforts and learn how and where you can keep trying.  You respect someone else’s intentions or your own, and don’t focus solely on the outcome. 

Because with grace, we can acknowledge the fact none of us can or ever will be perfect, but we can all strive to be better, and that includes the more kind and forgiving version of who we are meant to be.

GRIT

If 2020 taught us anything, it is that we are able to endure incredible burdens, and continue to keep moving forward.  We can face loss, instability, and pain, and still find the strength to move forward, holding on to the beautiful gift of hope, and never letting go of the belief that we can, even if the face of adversity, do amazing things.

“Grit is the stubborn refusal to quit.” -Jonah Lehrer

2020 also taught us the lesson of true grit.  We endured so much, and for so many, they lost so much as well.  Some lost jobs, others sadly, lost loved ones, and all of us lost personal freedoms, comfort, stability, and certainty. It seemed every where you looked, there was a loss, a change, frustration and fear.

Yet, we continued to try, to move forward, and to believe in the possibilities and the promise of a better day.  We didn’t give up. We fought through the pain, the disappointment, and the frustration, and continued to push, one day, and one moment at a time.  We may have questioned our ability to keep moving, but it didn’t stop us, as we continued to find the strength to continue persevering day by day.

We faced a year unlike any we have ever seen, and while we may have stumbled along the way, we never gave up. 

People adapted, endured, and found their way through the struggle. Parents became teachers, people found ways to make their homes offices, teachers learned to continue supporting their students from afar, and essential workers all over the world became the heroes they were never acknowledged to be before.

We found a way.  We found within ourselves, our families, and our communities a true grit—which we can take moving forward, knowing, we are always capable of so much more than we know, and we will always find our way through.

GRATITUDE

While the hope is that gratitude is always an enduring lesson, 2020 was extremely impactful in hammering home the lesson that one of the best ways to live your best life is to constantly take stock of all that you do have and what really matters most.

For me, 2020 taught me (more than ever) that GRATITUDE can and will change your perspective, your heart, and your life.

It would have been easy last year to focus on all that was difficult, and how much was lost.  It would have been simple to only see what we didn’t get, instead of acknowledging how much we already had. 

“Gratitude drives happiness. Happiness boosts productivity. Productivity reveals mastery. And mastery inspires the world.” -Robin S. Sharma

But, if we didn’t allow ourselves to see only the limitations, and instead pushed ourselves to feel and hold onto gratitude—it became a daily reminder that there was always something or someone to be grateful for, and it helped us, guided us, during every difficult day of the year.

Gratitude helped us remember how blessed we were for the memories we already had, that we needed to hold onto when family vacations were cancelled and the girls’ weekends had to be postponed indefinitely.  It reminded us that we can still be connected, and find the joy and laughter with our loved ones through phone calls and FaceTime, if not in person. 

Gratitude let us appreciate the peace at the end of a long day, knowing no matter how difficult it felt, we were eternally grateful for the loved ones, be it your children, spouses, pets, or friends, who you still go to hold onto.

Gratitude helped us see what we had, not what we lost…what we could still hold on to, instead of what was taken…and what we could hope for, instead of what to be afraid of.  It allowed us to believe in hope, and realize there is always good, if we are just willing to look for it.

Looking both back and forward

I am a firm believer that we need to always try and move forward.  But, in life, we often need to look back to see how far we have come, and be reminded of what we have learned along the way, in order to stay on the right path.

So, as we move into a new and hopeful year…let us now remember that 2020 may have been difficult in many ways, but it gave us lessons to prepare us for this new year. It helped show us the beauty of grace, the power of grit, and the gift of gratitude.

Wishing you a blessed 2021!

Love and light to all!