2020 - Half Over or Half Left to Go?
It’s a variation of the age-old glass half-full or half-empty question. Do you lean towards pessimism or optimism? We’re usually not fully one or the other, but often we lean in one direction. I think the ideal is being a bit of a realist...hoping or believing that things will go well but realistic that things will not always be sunshine and rainbows.
So, how are you feeling about 2020 - half over or half left to go? There's not a right or wrong...it's just a matter of perspective.
With the many challenges that 2020 brought, particularly the pandemic, many may be feeling like we just need to get this year over with...leave the bad year behind. And I definitely get this...this year has thrown us several curveballs already, and I’m sure the year is not yet done with us unfortunately.
However, I’m in the camp of - we have a half year left to make it an amazing year. Yes, things are different but, I know, many of us found some silver linings to having to slow down thoughI know those on the front lines have not slowed down at all and have likely sped up. The positives I’ve seen for myself or heard from others include:
Missing having family time to play games, do puzzles, or watch a movie as a family
Missing having time to read or do a favorite hobby
Realizing how much time commuting was taking out of my day
Realizing that that work from home might be a good thing
Realizing how little I really needed when it was no longer convenient...going out to eat, nail appointments, strolling through a mall or Home Depot
Realizing how much I took some things for granted...getting a haircut when I needed it, running to the grocery store when we ran out of something, meeting someone for coffee
Having time to take advantage of online learning opportunities or catching up on all the award winning movies from the past years.
Whenever we have time to reflect, we have the potential for growth.
We have half of 2020 left. How do you want to live it?
A few questions to consider:
What have you learned about yourself and the way you’re living?
What do you love about your life?
What do you want to change?
What activities do you want to start or stop or continue?
What aspiration did you decide wasn’t really what you wanted?
What dream did you decide that it’s time to get started on?
My 2020 year has half of it left to be lived. I have half a year to:
Enjoy my kids and their activities more fully. Only a few more years before they move on to college.
Rebuild my running strength and get to where I want to be overall on my fitness level
Accelerate the growth of my business
Spend quality time with my friends and family
Enjoy my summer Fridays, spending as much time as I can on the beach because the ocean centers me
Plan an amazing trip for someday when it seems like a good time to travel again.
...and I’m sure many more things that I’m not thinking of right now.
So...you can try to accelerate 2020 to its end so you can close that chapter or you can close the chapter on the first half of 2020 and start a new one. What, within your control, can you do to make the second half of 2020 amazing...or at least not suck? If amazing is too high of a bar, it’s ok to start lower...make t it better than the first half.
We can’t control a lot of what life throws at us. But, we can decide how we react to it, what we learn from it, and what we do going forward.
Those in the US are likely celebrating a long holiday weekend. I hope that you can find a few minutes to reflect on the first half of the year...what went well, what didn’t go well, what you want to do going forward.
You have half a year to make 2020 a great year...consider getting started today.