How to ensure 2021 is all you’re hoping for, no matter what
Despite living in the US I still associate ringing in the new year with the sound of Big Ben striking midnight and fireworks light up the night sky over London.
To be honest, this year I didn’t even make it to midnight ET.
Instead we raised a glass at midnight UK time and probably just like you, I could almost hear the collective sigh of relief as the world exhaled the stress of this last year.
2020 will be well and truly behind us. Forever. Woo Hoo!
But you know, as we raised a glass to a new year pregnant with hope and possibility and we reflected on what can only be described as a tumultuous year for us individually, nationally, and globally, I wondered if it wouldn’t be long before reality set in and we were left wondering nervously if this year would be any different?
I’m not a politician, economist or doctor, – far from it – but I think it’s safe to say 2021 isn’t going to miraculously get better overnight and the horrors of 2020 won’t vanish in a sprinkle of confetti and champagne.
If you’re listening to this episode the week it airs, we’re three weeks into 2021 and I don’t want to be all doom and gloom.
We have a vaccine and hope and change are on the horizon, but for many of us lockdown goes on, our kitchen tables continue to double as classrooms, family gatherings continue on Zoom, the lonely and infirm remain isolated and at risk, and the financial pressures we face as individuals, and as a nation are going to take time to climb out of and for many of you, being immunosuppressed in the middle of a global pandemic doesn’t just stop
So, I wonder, can 2021 be all we’re hoping it will be and if it can, how do we ensure that it is?
As someone who was diagnosed with cancer just six weeks after losing her sister and six years after losing her mum to the same thing, I want to stand on my soap box and yell, YES, 2021 can definitely be all we’re hoping.
Because, as I always say and it’s become my mantra, if my run in with cancer showed me anything, it’s that life doesn’t have to be pain free to be full, how to live it, and that it’s possible to thrive, not just survive, no matter what.
It’s not just a cute saying, I believe it wholeheartedly.
So, to help us all live it out and for it not to stay a nice platitude (cos you know I’m not about niceties and platitudes) I’ve got 10 things we can do and put into practice that will ensure 2021 is all we’re hoping it will be.
If you’ve read my book Breathe Again: How to Live Well When Life Falls Apart you’ll recognize some of these – but many are new as I’ve continued to live and learn this last year.
Here they are but listen in to get the full benefit.
1. Stop waiting for life to get better.
2. Focus on what we know, not what we don’t.
3. Go to God before Google.
4. Practice gratitude.
5. Flip your script.
6. Choose brave.
7. Find community.
8. Embrace the Journey
9. Reach out
10. Make time to laugh.
Let me know which one will make the most difference to your 2021 and which one you struggle with most. Leave a comment and I’ll get back to you.
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