Only a four days to go until 2021. 1-2-3-4. That is it.
I get so excited at this time of year counting down the days. No matter how arbitrary calendars and years are, they provide something to measure against. It provides some sense of context and reference. And for me, even knowing all of that, it feels good to start and finish things.
There is just something about fresh starts and beginnings that get me pumped.
I love reflecting a bit on the past year and then using what I learned to make a plan for the new year. There is something about taking a blank sheet of paper and filling it up with ideas. Putting all those hopes and dreams into plans, and breaking it down into smaller chunks of action. Looking at that calendar and sticking in those mileposts on what needs to be done by when.
–For a messy person like me, this activity provides structure where there would be none. Provides a way to measure accomplishment. To push and strive to get something important done.
This year is all the more sweeter.
It’s the year that seemingly everyone is happy to say goodbye and toss into the waste bin of history. I started 2020 with such hope and excitement. Even as the pandemic struck I made plans and looked for ways to make the most of the time and the adjustments to the world. And while, I did accomplish a lot with my year and there is a lot to be proud of, it all feels some how stained and lackluster.
Perhaps it is because I packed on the Covid-19 twenty. I didn’t keep up some of the daily activities that I had planned. I found myself a bit adrift at times this year. Could be any of these things. It has been a hell of a year and yet I have so much to be thankful for. There are so many people who have been dealt a far worse hand, far, far worse than I have experienced this year.
And so, I do only what I know to do, which is to give back. To share in some small way with others a bit of my journey and what I learn along the way. If this act can in some small way help another person – then I can go to bed each night having fulfilled purpose.
Much of what I put together at the beginning of the year in 2020 was useful throughout the year. Some adjustments were made along the way, but overall I kept the general theme. Because that theme was rooted in my own personal development and my purpose, it meant that even as the year threw a huge curveball, much of what I’d already planned only needed a little adjustment along the way.
This isn’t to say that it was easy. Not at all.
It does however, illustrate the importance of planning and making plans based on core values and purpose. When decisions are rooted in such things they provide a lovely foundation that keeps everything straight even as the world shakes all around you.
There is a lot of promise and hope in 2021. This is the year where each month will be better than the last. There will be barriers and road blocks along the way. What matters is what we do with that time, how we overcome those challenges, and how we better ourselves and those around us.
Set yourself up for luck and have a wonderful 4 days of planning.
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As you prepare for the new year and to hit the ground running, well maybe after this year we’ve all had, maybe moving at all is good. It’s important to remember, similar to how we need to organize our physical spaces to be more productive and to reduce stress, our digital world needs maintenance as well.
Remove the clutter – this is not just about stuff. Declutter your life.
https://jamesmarcusross.com/2020/01/03/organizing-your-digital-life/
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For those like me, who have packed on the Covid-19 twenty, check out this Mayo Clinic article
Development Geek 