What did you learn in 2021?

It was probably a relief for most people when 2020 ended, and 2021 began. However, throughout the year 2021, there were a lot of ups and downs for many. With the continued spike in COVID-19, new strains coming to light, many celebrity deaths, and some tragic world events, it’s easy to get caught up in all the negative aspects of 2021.

But was 2021 all that bad? It’s easy to reflect on the bad times rather than the good ones, but 2021 taught us some much-needed lessons that will help us in 2022.

•  Your health, well-being, and loved ones come before everything else.

After a year like this, it’s proven that taking care of your physical health and mental health will only help you along your path. Health is wealth; without it, we don’t have anything. When you take care of your mental and physical health, everything else follows, and surrounding yourself with the people that show the same care to you as you do to them helps increase your well-being.

•  The importance of S.E.E.

This may seem boring, but when you take care of your sleep schedule, exercise regularly, and eat well, everything else falls into place. Personally, for me, after working in and out for weeks on end without any sleep and exercise, my body began to fail me, almost as though it was telling me, “If you’re not going to try for me, why would I try for you?”
After applying more sleep and exercise into my life, I felt like a brand-new person. I could do more, and I had more clarity and more focus.

•  Avoid the fear of dying.

After the last two years that we’ve had, this one almost seems too real. When the pandemic first hit, I remember the absolute fear I had. I felt like I shouldn’t do anything and completely isolate myself from the world and the things that brought me happiness. I became a shell of myself, but this year I learned to move past the fear of death and to live my life in a completely different way. I taught myself to get up even when I felt like I was not good enough, I did things I never thought I would do, took career jumps I never believed were real for myself, and worked on myself.

•  You are your biggest enemy.

You are your biggest critic. I’m talking about the times your mind tells you you’re not good enough, smart enough, and equipped enough for anything. It’s hard to move past this mindset. Trust me, I’m still working on it, but it’s not an impossible task. However, I’ve realized that the majority of these lingering thoughts we have are usually 99 per cent untrue, and the way to debunk them is just by doing what our brain is telling us we can’t do.

•  Don’t shy away from how you feel.

Just like Cinderella said, “you don’t know what you got until it’s gone.”
It might be cheesy but tell the people you love and cherish how much they mean to you. You never know how much time you have with someone, all the feelings you have now can end for you in the blink of an eye. So don’t waste your time wondering what it could have been, and be open and honest with others about how you feel.

•  Forgive yourself and others.

What does holding a grudge really do?
It only gives you more pain. Learn to forgive yourself and others and move on from the things that have hurt you. If you allow them to dictate and control your every thought, find a way to vocalize it or put it out to the world so you can let go of the pain it is causing you.

With each year comes new experiences, new adventures, and new stories to tell, but with every year comes many new lessons and a lot of things to put into perspective.

What did you learn from 2021?