You’ve heard the saying, Hindsight is 2020? That phrase certainly has new meaning now!
Over the last 10 years or so, there were hopeful and predictive articles and books anticipating the year 2020. It seemed like 2020 was going to be the year we all got clarity and inspiration and found our way. January 2020 brought lots of blogs and posts about 2020 vision and living your best life…yada, yada, yada.
Then, 2020 actually happened…a global pandemic, social unrest, an upside- down economy, political battles, violence and divisiveness.
With quarantine, people ill and dying, job loss or changes, travel restrictions, work from home (WFH), virtual learning, sports happening in a “bubble” or not at all, everyone had to adjust – sometimes easily, sometimes not. People reacted in various ways – changing jobs, reconnecting with loved ones, ending relationships that weren’t working, strengthening relationships, coping with anxiety or depression. People started cooking every night as a family, playing board games, taking walks, sitting together outside with a cup of tea (or glass of wine). After experiencing WFH, many vowed they would never commute or travel for work again. We experienced Zoom calls with dogs and kids, casual clothes and unkempt hair. 2020 forced us to reexamine our lives and decide what is most important, who is most important, and how we want to spend time and money now.
Maybe we got exactly the version of 2020 we were supposed to get. We were forced to take off the rose-colored glasses we’d worn for a long time: the ones that provided a rosy, unreal view of the world; the narcissistic, materialistic glasses; the ones we used to create facades on social media. We were abruptly forced to put on glasses grounded in reality – our true reality. It revealed how we deal with stress, uncertainty and fear. We looked at the ugly and the beautiful in our lives, in our country and in our world. We decided we didn’t need all the stuff. We didn’t need to impress everyone with fictitious “happy” lives. We were all humbled by events we couldn’t control, yet we could find new ways to interact, to work, to create, to connect with those we care about. We could reach out a hand to help those who were hurting or less fortunate. We could be who we really are, and whether or not others accepted our true selves, it was okay. These are the “silver linings” of 2020, as a wise friend advised recently.
The words to one of my favorite songs, “I Can See Clearly Now” by the great Johnny Nash are a perfect metaphor for this time – as we come out of 2020 and begin a new year.
I can see clearly now, the rain is gone,
I can see all obstacles in my way
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind
It’s gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun-Shiny day.
Seeing clearly is an aspect of visual acuity, defined as the sharpness of your vision.
These Good Questions can serve as tools to sharpen your vision, post-2020:
- What were your biggest successes and disappointments in 2020? In hindsight, what did you learn about yourself?
- What silver linings did you experience in 2020?
- What is most important to you now? Who is most important to you now? How will you spend time and money now?
- What will you do to keep your vision clear in the future? What obstacles or dark clouds could get in your way? Who can help you stay true to your vision?
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Deb Hornell is a visionary whose personal brand of “Cultivating Environments for Growth” extends into her consulting practice, her family and friendships, and her book: "Good Things for a Full Life."
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