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2020 wasn’t an easy year for any of us. In fact, by many accounts, it was one of the worst years we’ve had to live through.
But like all hard and challenging times, lessons can be learned from the year 2020. Here are some of our top life lessons learned from 2020, ranked by 5,217 people. Let’s get started!
Know Yourself
Our first highly shared lesson is this; you only really know who you are when everything is taken from you.
2020 took a lot from us. Family, friends, travel plans, security, etc. In the absence of everyone, and every distraction you use to avoid facing yourself, your fears, and your silenced aspirations and needs, who are you really? What really matters to you?
A Crisis Amplifies Traits
A crisis doesn’t change people; it amplifies who they are already. Although many people seem to agree on this one, we’re not too sure about it.
This type of reasoning is true if we were speaking about something like money. For example, if someone who is selfish gets rich, they will spend their riches on themselves, but if they are already selfless, they will find a way to donate their money. But is that appropriate for 2020? We don’t think so, do you?
Keeping It Simple
A lesson that was shared a lot was that of the importance and appreciation of the simple things in life. A smile, a walk in nature, fresh water, shelter, warmth. Life in and of itself.
It’s easy to overlook the importance of simple things, and not appreciate what we already have. For any of us that complain about materialistic or leisurely things, 2020 was a great reminder to stop.
The Great Social Filter
This is what people are ranking as one of their best lessons. This explains the realization of who is truly needed in your social circle, online, offline, and who you may disconnect from with no regrets.
This year has taught a lot of us who of our friends are really there for us and can be trusted. Why do you follow people on social media? Do they add to your life in a positive and mindfully challenging way?
The Slow Down Speed Up!
Is it just us or does this year feel like it came and went so quickly? Bizarre, right? Because most of us, especially those of us who work remotely feel like we did nothing, went nowhere!
2020 was the year the world slowed down yet looking back, why does it feel like time sped up? It’s a blinding confirmation that time really does not wait for anyone.
Moral Confusion
A lot of people realized that a lot of matters that used to seem to black and white, so right or wrong, are now a big, wide display of grey.
Things can be good and bad at the same time. It’s a spectrum, everything needs to be taken into account. That’s why facts and truth are so important. We need them to guide our compass of morality.
Tendency To Underestimate
2020 proved to a lot of people that they could endure more than they thought they could. It also taught people that we seem to consistently underestimate our resilience and adaptability.
This crisis isn’t over yet but look at us. We’re still here, still working out how to come together and change these tides. 2020 has taught us that we are all far more capable than we think.
Fear Is Not Dangerous, Irrationality Is
Although many people have titled this lesson as “fear is dangerous”, we have to disagree. Fear is good. It protects us from harm and keeps us alive. But what many may have confused fear with is irrationality.
Fear-based on irrationality is dangerous indeed. We fight irrationality with reason, the reason we derive from truth. Don’t be cautious of a kitten, and fearless in front of a lion.
Always be Financially prepared
This one may hit home for a lot of us this year. 2020 brought job losses and a public health crisis. Some of us scrabbled to make sure we could afford essentials.
Perhaps we looked back to simpler times and wished we didn’t treat ourselves to unnecessary luxuries when we need the money now for more essential things. Now we know, nothing is guaranteed, so it’s best to try to save a little when we can.
No Excuse
Another lesson that was ranked highly was this: You have no excuse to not be who you want to be. After all 2020 put us through, we’ve realized how fast things can change and how much the opinions of others or societal pressures don’t really matter at the end of the day.
Life is short. It’s up to ourselves to create the life we want and pursue happiness by doing things that are worthwhile.
Family
For many of us, 2020 separated our family members and took away our loved ones. Many people and friends we can survive without but what we have learned is the importance of our family or those who we consider as family - friends, lovers, and pets included.
As cliché as it sounds, we really are stronger together!
Resilience
It’s no secret that 2020 tested our patience. And that the virus continues to test our patience and resilience, still to this day. But another lesson learned from this is that resilience is the key to overcoming the difficulty of life in lockdown, of weathering this storm.
It is not those who inflict the most, but those who suffer the most that will come out on top.
Staying Active
It’s a lesson hard earned for most of us this year. 2020 reminded us that we need, even crave nature and movement. Our mind seems to turn to mush without it.
Depression builds, anxiety increases and negative thoughts are all real-life, and almost instant effects of not going out and/ or working out. Thanks 2020, we always had our suspicions, but now we know for sure!
Try New Things
2020 wasn’t exactly the year of traveling to new places and seeing new things, but that belongs to the eye of the beholder.
Many people last year decided to find boredom with experiments and did things they wouldn’t normally have time to do in the past. Take this person for example. Who would’ve known toilet roll turned into a big marshmallow if you put it in a pot of water? Bottom line is...
Everybody Has Something
Nobody is blessed with the perfect life. Nobody has the perfect mindset, perfect relationship, perfect family, or perfect health. 2020 was hard for us all and its effects got many of us talking.
Mental health took a front seat and with it, our rose-tinted glasses came off and saw life for what it really is. Everybody’s just trying to get through. It’s hard but it’s so very worth it. Because frankly, life and most people are awesome! Still, let’s hope 2021 starts shaping up!