As the end of 2020 draws nigh, most of us are making the most of our holiday business and, without a doubt, looking forward to a less challenging year ahead.

Could any of us have ever imagined the way 2020 would turn out? In every corner of the globe, people from all walks of life experienced unbelievable adversity. In business, we’ve necessarily had to put some outside-the-box ideas into practice to keep our doors open and our customers cared-for. Despite all the best efforts, some businesses were forced to close, and many may never return.

Even companies that thrived experienced a great upheaval. Whether it was about transitioning to an online business model, adapting to a remote-work environment, or investing in protective measures to keep customers and employees safe, we had to be on our toes, ready to respond to whatever fresh challenge lay ahead.

Hindsight is 20-20

Nobody can tell us that we haven’t accomplished a lot this year. Because we’ve basically been swimming upstream since March, every step forward counts for multiples of the successes you would typically celebrate.

As they say, what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger. These unimaginable challenges have made us more resilient, flexible, and, ultimately, more capable than ever before. It is a blessing that we can now bring forward into the new year as we prepare to face the future.

Counting All The Blessings

The end of the year is usually when we take stock of our progress and make plans for the year ahead. So let’s all take a moment to look back at all we’ve faced and what we’ve overcome.

Many of us have seen our businesses grow beyond belief. We’ve found new and more meaningful ways to connect with our customers; after all, we’re all experiencing the same things, so it’s easy to engage over shared concerns.

At home, we’ve learned more about ourselves and those closest to us. We’ve rediscovered the joys of simple pleasures and refocused on the people and things that are right in front of us. We have let go of processes, habits, and ideas that didn’t work. We discovered new ways to connect and rediscovered passions we thought were long gone. We saw beauty and value in simpler things.

We also learned that anything is possible, both the good and the bad. We’ve come to celebrate our resilience. We no longer suffer from the misconceived notion that what we’ve built is just a house of cards. We’re here for each other, and we’re here to stay. Of course, there are many more lessons to be learned and a lot of rebuilding to do once the dust settles. But at least there is a light at the end of the tunnel – and it’s not an oncoming train.

So when we look back on 2020, as it fades into the distance, let’s reflect on its wisdom. It’s been a pivotal time in history, and we’ve survived to tell the tale. May it inform the way forward and fill your hearts with gratitude.