My 2020 Story and a Few Lessons Along the Way

“Unprecedented” is a term most used to describe year 2020. It was a year that brought a major shift in our perspectives about things we often take for granted including our health, wellness, family, relationships and work. Millions of people worldwide lost their lives, many were thrown into a whirlwind of situations resulting from getting infected, losing loved ones, losing jobs, losing touch with others and having general anxiety about the future.

My 2020 Story

23rd March 2020, when India declared a lockdown, was also the day when I was scheduled to take a flight and move to a different city with my family.

I began 2020 with a firm plan to execute a significant mid-career transition that involved voluntary movement out of a rewarding senior leadership role, relocating family, reuniting with my parents and (hopefully) start new assignments. During the weeks leading up to 23rd March, I had sold/given up on all our possessions including beds, car, dining table, cooking gas connections, refrigerator etc. Whatever remained was packed for movement.

Now the flights were canceled and curfew was imposed.  We felt stranded with no grocery, no cooking gas and no way to go out and arrange for things required for family of four including two kids. With the help of kind folks in the neighborhood, we were able to extend our rental accommodation, arrange for grocery and basic stuff that we could survive on for a couple of months. Those simple favors from neighbors felt like a fortune. 

After our initial disappointment with disrupted plans faded away, we came to terms with the situation. As pandemic gripped the nation(s), being safe with family was way more important than having all material possessions. As a family, we always believed in and practiced voluntary simplicity, which came in handy during times when we had to live minimally.

As we read the horror stories about the spread of pandemic and its impact on people, our perspective changed. Our problems felt tiny against the strife and struggle of so many others.

During this period of three months, we rediscovered the joy of being together. Simple rituals of every day life like having a cup of tea together in the morning or cooking a breakfast for kids got a whole new meaning. We were filled with gratitude for being safe, being together and being healthy. Just having those things felt way bigger than any other form of wealth. 

“In times of adversity, we really discover who we are and what we’re made of.” – Howard Schultz

The lockdown also provided me with much needed time for reflection and growth. I used the time to rest, read books, have rich conversations with kids/family/friends, connect with extended family, create stuff and learn a lot of new things. I learned what living a slow life means and the awareness that comes with it. I remember sitting in the terrace for hours noticing a lovely Sunbird couple collecting twigs through the day to build their small nest in a plant nearby.

I was finally able to take the much anticipated flight back home in June 2020, quarantined for a fortnight and then started new assignments remotely.

A Few Lessons Along the Way

It was a wonderful collective learning experience for me and my family. We learned that:

• Adaptability is our real strength. We are far more adaptable, agile and resilient than we think. Companies moved to working-from-home models overnight and continued to serve customers. Teachers and students adapted to online education. People reinvented themselves when their businesses were impacted.
• Happiness is an inside game. We don’t need material stuff around us to be happy. Sometimes, being in a joyful state just requires a shift in our perspective. Through sketchnote project, I have learned that immersing the self in an engrossing activity puts us in flow. Pursuing your hobbies and creative interests is a great antidote to anxiety. (Also Read: 8 Factors of Happiness)
• Slowing down makes us more aware about ourselves and our surroundings. As it turns out, it also helps the environment. (Related Post: Slow Down)
• Our real wealth is invisible and immeasurable. Family, health, relationships, independence, being able to reinvent the self, learn at the speed of change, being grateful and willing to help/enable others and having humility to receive gracefully from others are all forms of wealth that we often sacrifice for visible metrics of wealth and power. We should never take these things for granted. (More here)
• Simplicity enables clarity. Less the stuff, more the focus on what truly matters. (More here and here)
• Kindness begets kindness. If you invest yourself in others and treat them with kindness and respect when you are not required to, they will reciprocate with kindness when they don’t necessarily have to.
• Real work is a service to others. We often get caught up in trivial work within corporate maze, but the pandemic brought the focus squarely back on people we call COVID warriors – who selflessly served others. And sometimes, real work looks like just wearing the mask, maintaining physical distancing and ensuring hygiene. Service is the highest form of self-expression.
• Health is a system you cannot hack. During pandemic, people consumed vitamins and immunity boosting pills. However, health and wellness is about a consistent daily effort in eating clean, exercising, meditating and sleeping well. It is a system that needs careful attention to all its parts working well together. Optimize the whole.
• Managing our attention is the key to well being. Over stimulation can drain our energy and affects our overall well being. Whatever we pay attention to develops and it helps to pay attention to thing that truly matter to you.
• Letting Go is powerful. Sometimes the best you can do is just surrender and go with the flow. Pandemic taught us to be comfortable with ambiguity and not try to control things beyond our reach. Letting go is a way to care for the self. Just because we can do things doesn’t mean we should. It’s okay to stop scrolling, disconnect and let go of things that no longer work well for us.

A Round Up of My Posts and Sketchnotes in 2020

Gratitude 2020

Despite all the challenges it brought along, I am grateful for 2020. I start 2021 with a resolve to lead better, learn better, live better and share what I learn in spirit of generosity and service. Wishing you the very best in 2021.

Also Check Out:

• In October, I was interviewed by Doug Neill for a “Sketchnote Breakdown” session where we discussed about my sketchnote on Reinventing Self and we deep dived into the process of creating a sketchnote. You can see the interview here.
• I compiled 68+ powerful sketchnotes on leadership and learning in form of “Raise the Bar: Visual Leadership Pack of HD Sketchnotes” which has been very helpful to leaders, learners and teachers who brought it.  You can check it out here.