The Impact of 2020

High emotions, solidarity and a whole lot of self-reflection is how many would describe this year in a nutshell. Let’s be honest, this year has been tragic for many, but it has also opened our eyes to a lot of things about the world, our community and ourselves.

From witnessing the injustice that the black community has gone through for decades, the shift a global pandemic has made, a whole lot of devastating deaths and ongoing tragedies, this year felt like it would never come to an end. Every time you checked your phone or turned on the tv, all it was filled with was ongoing negative and disheartening news.

We saw heroic actions take place from health care workers, retail workers, strangers, neighbours, colleagues, family members, friends, social workers, students, teachers, business owners and so many more.

There is a lot that 2020 has taught us about our relationships, our values, our courage, and our passions. As we made our 2019 New Year’s resolutions, we had nothing but hope and faith jumping into the new year, knowing we would be faced with challenges along the way. But 2020, however, had different plans. If we could take away everything that happened this year, we would but we can’t so let’s look at the silver lining. From tough times comes tough lessons, personal growth, and many learning opportunities.

​ Here we are reflecting on what this crazy year has taught us.

1. Take a leap of faith

Don’t waste your life waiting for that right thing to happen to you. Make it happen for yourself. This year showed us that when we wait for that “thing“ we always dreamed of it leaves us disappointed. We have become more courageous and passionate individuals because of this year, whether that be working on that dream we always wanted, starting a new hobby, or simply just educating ourselves on something we always wanted to learn.

2. Finding happiness in the simple things

You need darkness for there to be light, so when everything was closing and shutting down, we had to shift our focus onto something else besides our everyday lives. Small things like, the way the sun shines through your bedroom window, the way the fresh coffee grounds smell in the morning or even just delighting yourself in a zoom call with a family member, these small things showed us that we don’t need anything big to make us happy, it’s all within.


3. Actions matter more than words

Dreaming is different than doing, thinking something is different than showing up and being there for someone during their tough times. As the world keeps shifting and changing daily, we saw people that have never met, come together to fight for the same equality and justice. People from every corner of the world came together to fight for the same thing, whether that was through wearing a mask and keeping your distance or fighting for the injustice of the black community, the world supported one another.

4.Different times reveal the truth

It’s funny how 2020 opened our eyes to a lot of new things in our lives. Did any of your friendships or relationships fizzle out during this year or surprisingly reignite and grow stronger than ever during this year?

5 Follow Your Passions

Do the things that light a fire in your heart. This year showed us just how much time we can have. Being stuck inside for days to weeks helped reignite that creativity we use to experience as a young child. Our imagination went wild when it came to the things, we realized that we really wanted to do with our lives.

6.Slow Down

This year showed us we need to give ourselves time to breathe in and breathe out. A time to focus on our physical health but more importantly our mental health. It showed us that even if we are working daily and interacting with others, there could be some internal issues that need to be focused on. With being in lockdown, it gave us tons of time for self-reflection and growth.

7.Be you

You got one life baby! So why not live in the way you want to? The year 2020 showed us that this is your life, and it can be lived whichever way you envision it. It helps us to stop being afraid of owning your authentic self and to start living and embodying who we truly are.

8.Never Stop Learning

Heck, when you get bored, what’s the best thing to do to fill your time? Learn!
We all tend to say, well if I had time, I would love to learn how to do that. Well, this year has given you the opportunity to take up something new, whether that be baking, karate, singing or learning more about yourself, this year has been helpful with that!
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9. Gratitude

I know I’ve done it; I usually don’t acknowledge all the things I do have in my life. This year showed me how amazing life can be when you start realizing all the things you have. And I’m not taking about a Nintendo switch or the newest X-Box game, I’m taking about the small things. Clean water, a roof over your head and food in your belly. These are small things that help me realized how good my life is.

What 2020 has taught us might be different from what it taught you, but this year has still been a year of self-growth and eye-opening things that happened in the world that put things in a new perspective for us. What has 2020 taught you? Leave us an answer in the comments below!