I’ve worked with SMEs for almost 20 years but no other year was like the one just gone. As I reflect on the bruiser of the year that was (which is why I love the break over Christmas and New Year so), I’m grateful that 2020 is where I learned more personally than any year I can remember as a working adult.
It was clear, early on, I knew nothing much about anything much. It was the year of testing deep-seated beliefs about myself, the way I showed up in the world of work, how I behaved when full of fear, and learning to live with less control, because, let’s face it, who knew anything for certain last year. If you were someone who needed all the facts before making a decision (as I was), 2020 was the year from hell.
Working more simply. It was time to truly sort out the wants from the needs and commit to finding a less burdened way of working last year, because necessity demanded it. In doing so, I discovered that working this way put back the joy in what I do for a living. Committing to this long-term and being there to help others find their ‘business simple’, is a goal for 2021.
Being grateful for the randomness of luck. If 2020 didn’t end up too bad (and for a lot of people, it didn’t end up as bad as we feared), it was so easy to congratulate ourselves on our genius of foresight, our hard-won expertise and the impact of hard work. Whilst there’s an element of these factors in how the year ends up for us for sure, I understood in very real ways, working with people who lost everything this year (or almost everything), that what divides ‘success’ from failure can be as thin as a sheet of tissue paper. Sobering.
Last year amplified everything; if someone’s act was inclusive, empathic, kind, their actions were louder, brighter, and certainly more appreciated than normal. Authentic knowledge shared without the promise of self-gain, shone brighter than anything. If fear, greed and inauthenticity was someone’s calling card last year, and we all had the excuse in 2020, it was the year when the tide went out on us all and there was nowhere to hide.
It was a year to clear out half-truths. Anything that created dissonance of the soul had to go. Beliefs, situations, people – my tolerance for my own delusions and that of others wasn’t met with patience but with sheer frustration. I didn’t have the stomach for it in 2020. I have ended up the year lighter, more hopeful, and happier as a result and with a much clearer idea of my purpose, where I thrive and where I don’t show up as my best self.
So as we move into 2021, I want to thank my Team, our Better Business Basics and Num8erlust customers, my professional networks and my work colleagues for being part of the learning this year. I will look back on 2020 in years to come as the year I grew up professionally.
Happy New Year!
If you’re looking for some assistance for your business in 2021, please reach out to us here at Better Business Basics.
