Well, it’s been quite a year, huh? I don’t think many of us had any idea what 2020 had in store when we confidently welcomed the New Year. It’s been a non-stop string of unexpected twists. And truthfully, this is the year that’s felt more like five years.

And, it’s often the moments of deepest stress and pain that can generate the most learning, growth, and emotional resilience. I know that for me and my family, this year has opened the door to new ways of embracing life and togetherness, and has helped us to hold less tightly to things that seemed indispensible before while simultaneously opening ourselves up to new ways of experiencing life. We’ve seen an explosion of driveway firepits, with neighbors spontaneously gathering outdoors (at a safe distance!) just to claim a few brief moments of community. We’ve learned to connect with others from afar using technology that seemed almost gratuitous before physical distancing became the norm.

So, as I reflected on 2020, I realized that I had five big, key learnings for the year. That’s what I share on this episode.

1. Diversify your portfolio (before you need it). It’s important to ensure that you aren’t putting all of your eggs in one basket. Even if you work for a company, you should be thinking about diversity of income stream in the event that something happens to your primary one. Don’t allow everything to hinge on one linchpin.
2. Have a “break the glass” strategy. Many people were (all of us?) were surprised by the onset of the global pandemic. This should cause all of us to re-think our contingency plans in the event of another unexpected disaster.
3. Embrace the flow of the river. Focus on things inside your circle of influence, and focus less on things in your circle of concern but beyond your influence.
4. A stimulated mind = a stimulated life. The moments when I was most engaged this year were moments when I was studying or absorbing material that caused me to think in new ways.
5. Don’t judge others by your measure for yourself. We need to extend grace to one another and recognize that we’re each carrying a unique burden.

In this episode, I dive deeper into each of these five learnings and offer some next steps for application.

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