And how you can make 2021 even better.

(First and foremost, it must be said that my thoughts and prayers go out to anyone who has been affected by COVID-19 in any shape or form and I in no way intend to undermine the seriousness of the situation.

Jobs lost. Unable to see family and friends.

Anyone who has ultimately lost someone close to them… it’s awful.

To those of you reading this without having lost someone important to you, it is vital to note you’ve already won this battle and should be extremely grateful, despite how tough it has been.

I write these positive notes and passages with a heavy heart for those who have, however)…

Here’s why 2020 Has Secretly Been a GREAT Year For You!

No I’m serious, and yes you did just read that headline correctly.

Just hear me out…

Let me begin by giving some context. I haven’t completely lost my head. I’m sane enough to realise that 2020 has hardly been ideal for us as a race who long for freedom, adventure and wander.

I mean remember the first week of 2020? When COVID-19 was far from our radar, and the year still started off pretty crazy? We had Australia on fire, Trump threatening our entire existence with a potential World War III, and this deadly pandemic was slowly starting to become a force of nature that didn’t look like budging.

You’d have to be some kind of supernatural, inconceivable soul to not let everything overwhelm you in some shape or form.

I mean, on a personal level, it kinda screwed me.

I had the summer of my dreams mapped out. I was heading stateside, to the big U S of A, touring the States of California, Arizona and Nevada. Soaking in everything the massive country had to offer me like an over absorbing sponge.

Then, the news.

….yeah.

In case you didn’t get the message, we were all locked down. Hemmed in and told not to budge like  a pack of petrified prisoners.

The situation got so bad, that even this man had no choice but to get on board…

…albeit with some winning around.

So, with all this news and restrictions, lockdown after lockdown, life put on pause, trip of a lifetime ruined, surely I’ve been sulking since March with no motivation to do anything?

Absolutely not.

If anything, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Let me tell you why.

Part 2

With the world’s drastic changes having fully embedded themselves into our daily lives, and so much taken away from us, what’s the one thing we have been given in return? And in incredible abundance at that…

TIME.

We as an existence and a generation have never been given more time than right now, which is ultimately our greatest resource.

Money? Great. Assets? Sure, fantastic!

But time? Time is ultimately our greatest resource. Something that is finite, precious.

Money can come and go, you will likely own multiple cars in your lifetime, or live in different locations. These are all great and super important too, but nothing eclipses time.

Being at home consistently, forgetting what the inside of an airport looks like, longing for social gatherings, it was tough at the start. I won’t lie to you.

Then weirdly I started to appreciate it.

Began by thinking things I never thought I would have.. does that make sense? Yes, it does…

I started to appreciate everything on another level. What I mean by that is every little thing that I once never put any pass on because I was ‘busy’, I now stopped and thought about.

I mean who else reading this has incredibly irritating siblings? Or parents that drive you up the wall sometimes?

Or who else reading this has said something like “I hate my job so much, I need to move!”

I guarantee lots of people are probably still complaining about these things, but readers of Leah’s blog? The type of people filled to the brim and overflowing with positivity? I think not!

I was moving 100 miles an hour, couldn’t wait to jet off to the States, not paying any attention to those around me, not really thinking long and hard about what life meant to me due to so much happening. Not questioning what makes me passionate…

Now, I respect everything so much more. My job, which I frequently gave out about. My family, who once bugged me endlessly, my time, which I had been basically wasting.

My hopes and dreams have been refuelled.

Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t an awful human being or anything pre-2020. It’s just sometimes you forget to stop and slow down amidst the madness that is everyday life.

However, 2020 has hardwired me to have an inordinate amount of gratitude and respect for the life I live, as well as giving me the encouragement to chase my dreams with an unparalleled amount of passion.

In fact, I was never really the type of guy who reached out to the universe for help, or believed in the great term ‘manifestation’. Hell I barely knew what that meant before this year! That’s how much I’ve changed as a person in 2020, and for the better.

I now believe I have truly found myself as a person. I now know who Jack is, after looking for a while. I mean how couldn’t I, with all this extra time on my hands.

My advice? Use this extra time to dig deeper, to figure out what you stand for , and what gets you up out of the bed in the morning.

Use this extra time to spend it with loved ones, to tell them how much you love them, and to keep your mental health in tip-top shape

And use this extra time to ask yourself difficult questions, get out of your comfort zone, and really find out who you are as a person.

If you’re struggling, that’s okay. Do this now and you can start 2021 on an unbelievably positive note.

Do this, and you will unlock happiness levels that are practically the pinnacle, a level you thought unobtainable. And isn’t that what it’s all about?

 Ultimately, I’ve never been happier. And I really hope some of you if not all of you reading this can empathise with me.

Stay safe, stay woke, and stay healthy.

Jack,

@jacomurphy – Instagram