While we can all painfully agree that 2020 will be remembered for the awful year that it was, each of us who can should appreciate the small things that helped salvage it. For me, there were some amazing silver linings:
Travel. In what turned out to be a stroke of good luck and good timing, we toured Rwanda and Tanzania in February and then drove across the country to our new home in Seattle in March. Since then, we only managed a drive to California and back.
Activity. Quiet roads meant over 4,000 miles of cycling, including 300+ miles in the last week of the year (thanks Rapha #Festive500). Hikes, PNW island visits, paddle boarding and skiing in Park City the day before shut-down dotted the year.
New friends. In a city where we barely knew anyone, we managed to cobble together a mix of old friends, new friends, and friends of friends into a semblance of a bubble. We spent Christmas and New Years with people we might not have met in a “normal” year.
Health. Friends survived some major health issues, and with only one sad exception the pandemic was an ever-present worry and hindrance but not deadly to those around us.
It doesn’t sum up to a great year, but the parts were definitely worth highlighting.
Now let’s move on.
Be Ready
I’m looking forward to 2021, which can only be a year-on-year improvement. I hope we can all take lessons from our solitude and disorientation to think long-term about the impact we want to have on the people and world around us.
In my last post I asked you to take this survey about how you consider making resolutions versus defining a purpose in your life and work. Nearly 75% of you had a personal purpose, despite not having, or not even remembering what your last resolution was. Nearly 30% never make resolutions (I am in that category). As I suspected, resolutions were tactical (quit smoking, eat more vegetables, learn French) and those of you with a purpose-mindset were focused on broader and more long-term goals like helping non-profits, enjoying life, and finding solutions to current macro problems.
Since you’ve probably had your fill of them by now, the only prediction I’ll make for 2021 is that it will be a more predictable year. Life will gradually return to something reflecting the past, and government and social challenges will be addressed with a steadier flow. I’m sure we’re in for surprises, but hopefully the whiplash of 2020 has endowed us with some resilience to handle those (for good or for bad). Maybe acknowledging the predictably of surprises, while somewhat oxymoronic, should be expected.
Be Planful
A lot of conversations with friends lately has centered around plans for the year. Puppies, travel weddings and sending kids back to school/work/jobs are on the docket. Here’s my view of what’s to come for me (and what to expect in this space):
Travel. While not likely before the summer, I’m optimistic that all roads lead to the second half of the year being spent in the company of friends and family around the world. Europe will be the first stop once borders are open.
Work. I spent the middle of 2020 on personal projects, but that has quickly shifted to overlapping projects for some great startups. I’m going to try to avoid the overlapping demands that loom on the horizon and focus on projects that keep me the most engaged and help me give something back to the world.
Outdoors. It’s ski season (sort of), so I’m hoping to hit the slopes. But I’m also enjoying the relatively mild PNW winter. A return to outdoor cycling is just weeks away, hopefully. And while I’m not sure I’ll rack up the same miles this year, it’s a distinct possibility.
This newsletter. Some weeks the content I post here will be more observational about current items in the news, marketing or startup-related topics or insights into trends. Others will remain more personal and reflective. I’ll make it clear at the outset of each post so you only read what you enjoy.
Happy New Year, and thanks for reading!
Credit where credit is due: the new icon and banner are the work of a talented young illustrator and designer, Tristan Bedell. See his work at tristanbedell.co.