Well, we made it. 2020 was the year that seemed like it would never end, but it finally has. As we cleanse ourselves of 2020 and usher in 2021, let’s welcome fresh starts and new beginnings. Heck, let’s embrace them, too.
In normal years, I like to look back at all the great highlights from the past year and use that momentum as a springboard into the new year. I really don’t see much point in going too deeply into a year that had so few highlights. At this point, I consider it a victory that after 10 months of being locked down at home, I haven’t started singing to lamp shades and engaging in deeply philosophical conversations with my light switches.
Instead of wallowing in the misery of the dumpster fire that was 2020, let’s instead focus our efforts into making 2021 a much better year. Let’s be realistic. 2021 probably won’t be the best year we’ve ever had, as we will likely still be dealing with the pandemic for most of the year. However, it’s up to us to make it the best year we possibly can.
1. Put 2020 in the past and be done with it.
The State of Oklahoma gave us a master class in how to recover and move on from a major disaster following the 20 May, 2013 EF-5 tornado that tore through the City of Moore. At the time, I was a meteorology student at the University of Oklahoma, living less than 10 miles from the damage path. It was fascinating being able to watch first hand the disaster, the response, and the recovery unfold. I learned a lot from that disaster that can be applied to the current pandemic.
It’s no secret that Oklahoma knows how to deal with violent tornadoes. That’s especially true for the City of Moore. Believe it or not, the 2013 tornado was the second EF-5 tornado to make a direct hit on the city in less than 15 years. Moore was also hit on 3 May, 1999, a storm that is the gold standard in mesoscale meteorology textbooks to this day. During the 1999 tornado, doppler radar measured a confirmed wind gust of 318 mph (512 km/h). That record still stands today as the strongest wind gust ever recorded on Earth.
So how is Oklahoma so resilient to being the target of violent weather so frequently? It’s so amazingly simple there’s really no excuse for not applying it to the current pandemic.
- Salvage what you can from the destruction.
- Clear out all the debris so you can start from a clean slate.
- Rebuild better, smarter, and stronger
Moore was mostly rebuilt by the one-year anniversary of the tornado in 2014.
2. Embrace The Oklahoma Standard
During my tenure as a student at OU, I was completely blown away by the concept of The Oklahoma Standard. It’s essentially an unwritten rule that says that you look out for your neighbors and fellow community members, especially during tough times. Prior to the 2013 tornado, I had never seen anything like the sense of unity and community during the healing and recovery process. I’ve never seen anything like it since.
Want to see the Oklahoma Standard in action? One of the first groups to arrive in Moore to help with the 2013 tornado recovery was from Newtown, Connecticut. If you’ve forgotten, Newtown had been the site of the horrific Sandy Hook massacre less than 5 months earlier. The group spent several months following the tornado hauling trailers full of donated aid, supplies, and disaster relief from Newtown to Moore.
That summer, one of the local TV stations in Oklahoma City caught up with the leader of the Newtown group. They asked him what motivated them to help Moore so much. He said it was the least they could do to give back and show their appreciation for the incredible outpouring of love and support they received in the aftermath of Sandy Hook.
We need more people like that to get us through the COVID-19 pandemic.
3. Instead of Vague New Year’s Resolutions, Set Specific, Attainable Goals
We all want to eat healthier, lose weight, and make more money. Those are some of the most common New Year’s Resolutions out there. Unfortunately, they are also incredibly vague. They do not specify any criteria to determine how or when they’ll be attained. And you wonder why almost everyone abandons their New Year’s resolutions by the 19th of January.
The secret to staying on track is to set SMART goals. SMART is an acronym that stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. Vague resolutions like “lose weight” or “make more money” are none of those things. Here are a few examples of how you can turn your vague resolutions into SMART goals.
| Vague Resolution | SMART Goal |
|---|---|
| Lose Weight | Lose 15 pounds by the 1st of June |
| Exercise More | Run 1 mile at least 4 times per week |
| Make More Money | Start a side business monetizing your favorite hobby that generates $100 per month by the end of the year. |
| Learn a New Skill | Complete and pass two courses in your desired skill by the end of the year. |
| Travel More | Book trips to Mexico, Thailand, and France for the spring, summer, and fall. |
4. Check Something Off Your Bucket List
If you’re anything like me or a lot of other people, your bucket list is probably full of travel-related items. While I’m hopeful some semblance of being able to travel will return in 2021, I wouldn’t bank on it to check anything off your bucket list.
Instead, focus on the COVID-friendly items on your bucket list. I know you have them on there. Start that side business you keep talking about. Build the table you’ve always wanted. Do that dream home improvement project you keep putting off.
Checking something off your bucket list is a great way to break the day-to-day monotony of pandemic life. As a bonus, it will also boost your mental health, make you feel good, and help beat back some of those COVID blues.
5. Set Yourself Up for Future Success
Throughout the COVID-19 crisis, I have spent much of my free time setting both myself and my business up for success in the future. While they’re not fully completed yet, some of these projects include:
- Diversifying my income to protect against loss of revenue in the future
- Build and execute a proper marketing plan and strategy
- Plan, set up, and establish multiple streams of passive income, such as publishing e-books and teaching online courses
- Expand the Matthew Gove Web Development product catalog to offer a more complete package that is better suited to clients’ needs
- Turn my primary hobby, Matt Gove Photo, into a side business to generate supplemental income.
I consider anything to set yourself up for future success an investment in yourself. That investment is made in some combination of time and money. You’ll need to figure out the balance that best suits your situation. When properly executed, the return on investment (ROI) can pay off hugely in the long run. In the best of outcomes, you’ll create a positive feedback loop that just keeps boosting your ROI. I recently argued that the COVID-19 crisis can be a glittering opportunity. It’s up to you to figure out how much you want to take advantage of it.
Conclusion
During tough times, there is nothing more liberating and cleansing than a fresh start. After a year like we just had, there is no better reason than the New Year’s holiday to put 2020 behind us and start fresh in 2021.
However, it’s important to not completely erase 2020 from memory. Forgetting the sacrifices and hardships we all endured will only lead to more complacency and ignorance and increase the chance we’ll wind up right back in this exact same mess when the next disaster strikes. As divided as we are these days, I think we can all agree that we don’t want to have to relive 2020 anytime soon.
Happy New Year, and here’s to a safe, healthy, and much more normal 2021.
Top Photo: Cleansing and Refreshing Scenery at Lake Tahoe
Sand Harbor State Park, Nevada – February, 2020