
7 life lessons I learnt in 2020
7 life lessons I learnt in 2020

2020 is one of those years you never thought could be possible but happen to be. In a way, never in my wildest imagination could I have thought of the lockdown, the pandemic and just the fear and uncertainty that it carried.
For me most of my plans went flying out of the window like they were never there and most times I didn’t know what next step to take. For some time, I battled with panic attacks, anxiety, depression and just a sadness that seemed to weigh me down.
But 2020 has not just been all bad; it’s been one of those years I will forever remember because it changed me forever. The lessons it taught me and the clarity and self-discovery it gave me has been amazing because no other year in my life has ever given me such.
2020 is a gift to me and even though I didn’t achieve most of my goals (trust me I am not happy with this), I am totally grateful for the gift only a year like this could give.
I wanted to share 7 big lessons 2020 taught me, that I feel can help you going forward.
Lesson 1: The Gift of Stopping – When the lockdown happened, the first week was a blur but afterwards I was able to pick myself up and realize one big thing I had been going and going, living life without pausing to ask myself what it was all about; what I was building. I didn’t have the time to just BE.
But when a virus forces you to be – and you do it – you see the meaninglessness of all the running without focus and purpose. If you would take something from 2020, it is the intentionality to create moments in your life, monthly, quarterly, or just a period when you take a pause and see if you are still on course or not; instead of just running and running like a dog without their tail.
Lesson 2: The Gift of Clarity – For me, this came in many ways. It came from the question I asked myself about my calling, my business, my brand, what I wanted to be known for, what I cared about and why it mattered
For you, clarity will come as you ask the right questions of yourself and most times it would seem like you don’t know the right question but you do! Take some time to listen to your heart. It is always trying to stir you in the right direction, so listen and gain clarity
Lesson 3 – Learning that the money problem had to be dealt with before I could give freely of myself.
This may not look applicable to you but if you want to change people’s lives and cannot figure out how the money problem (bills , expenses , material needs etc) would be solved, it would consistently hinder you from totally giving of yourself. So, no matter what it is you want to do in the world, no matter the change you want to bring about, find ways to deal with your money issues first and then come back for the passion. Don’t see it as a delay; see it as a process of refinement that makes your message authentic and true.
Lesson 4: The mind loves to learn new things – One thing I noticed was after I stopped struggling with the lockdown, what it could entail, how long it would last and gave myself fully to learning some of the things I had put off due to a tight schedule, my mind came alive. I realized the mind was hungry to consume and learn new things and it is never tired. So the more information you give it, the more it takes in. The only caution is not just to consume information, but to put it into practice. Do make a commitment to learning new things by making lifelong learning a priority, and follow your curiosity in new things you want to know more about. You will literally amaze yourself by your learning.
Lesson 5: You can’t give what you don’t have – I learnt this when I was sick I realized if God told me to heal the sick and I was sick how would that work and this brought my faith alive but I also realized it’s the same for a lot of things in our lives. If you don’t have the money you can’t give it if you don’t have love you can’t give it if you don’t have peace or friendship or laughter you cannot give it. So instead of focusing on giving these things, focus on getting it in your life and let it overflow. It would pour out to others from you naturally.
Lesson 6: Gratitude – Finding things to be grateful for when nothing seems to be happening in your life is tough, but I am learning that gratitude sometimes is not about what happens to you but who you become; it is more of an attitude. So I have decided to, every day, find 10 things I am grateful for. I don’t always remember to do it but I try my best and now, I don’t mind repeating the same thing over or be grateful for normal things that happen every day. I am grateful plus gratitude helps us remember God’s goodness in our lives because we tend to forget when things are tough but intentional gratitude reminds us.
Lesson 7: God will always come through – I had times this year when I cried all by myself in a dark room. No one was going to come through for me, everyone had failed me and I didn’t have any hope, but guess what God came through and I have noticed time and time again, He has consistently come through. This is not intended to make anyone feel uncomfortable, but know this God will always come through if you know your God even if it is the last minute. So, yes get to Know God intimately through the Holy Spirit.
These were my seven major lessons. I do have more; like how your money will always go somewhere. You might as well direct it to where you want it to go, how I am learning that time is way more valuable than money and on and on but I will pause for now and share them as the year progresses
I believe in being a student of life and your own unique life experiences if we choose to learn the lessons life brings our way we would be so much wiser.
So, what lessons did 2020 teach you and which amongst my seven resonated with you the most?
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