Hey 2021, Don’t you go there—We have plans!

Hey 2021—We have plans! We were ready for better things…

2020 was so challenging on so many levels, we just wanted it behind us. Then, 2021 had to go and break our spirit by going south in a big hurry.

So, whatever you do, don’t let a stupid calendar ruin the next eleven months before you even know what’s in store.

Sometimes arbitrary things are good …

And other times, well, not so much. When they work for you, like putting a big ‘X’ through 2020, sure—go ahead and use them. And when they don’t, well kick them to the curb and pick another metaphor.

I want you to try this… Rewind your brain to the last couple of weeks of 2020. Go ahead… don’t worry, we’re not staying! Try to feel that sense of optimism again. Trust me, it’s still there. Feel it?

Now, before you banish 2020 to the deepest corners of your memory, take one last inventory of the good things that came out of it. Remember, after grieving we tend to remember the good parts more than the rest.

You kept going through once-in-a-lifetime circumstances.

Give yourself some credit for what you did—because it wasn’t easy.

Take some time and reflect on the countless feats you have accomplished. You know, like reconnecting with friends and family and those close to you, figuring out how to make do with what you have, taking more time to relax and unplug, getting to know yourself a little better (that’s a big one).

There’s so much more, too.

Yep, we got our hopes up and set ourselves up for disappointment. And that’s what happens when we allow ourselves to expect things to be a certain way. And 2021 might not have been ready to play along. Obviously.

We humans are predictable, but the future does its best not to be. That’s one of the many ingredients that make this life interesting.

So back to a year that went sour in a hurry…

Maybe look at it this way. Could the world have been saying, “Whoa! Slow down a bit… this train hasn’t made it to the station yet. We still have some miles left in this journey.”?

A reader left this comment back in December,

I’ve recently read, in more than one place, that many folks started out the year with a long list of all the things they wanted, only to end the year with a different and deeper list of all the things they are thankful to have.”

—Dan Klein

Thanks for sharing that, Dan!

Let’s take that list and be grateful.

And let’s hang on to the hope and optimism of the new year. Then, go ahead and adjust those plans interrupted. We’re gonna see this thing through.

It’s going to be a good year despite that rough start. 

Be hopeful. Stay the course. You’ve got this.

Be untucked.

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