Hindsight Is 2020

Hindsight certainly is 2020. There is nothing that gives us more clarity than looking back in the rearview mirror to see hoe far we’ve come. Or not. Looking back on 2020, I don’t think anyone is sorry to say farewell to a very challenging year. Instead, most of us are more than happy to say good riddance. However, it is interesting to reflect back on it and recognize some of the good things that came out of the Year of the Rat. Yep, according to the Chinese Zodiac calendar, 2020 was the Year of the Rat.

I remember sitting in a networking meeting last January. You remember networking meetings, don’t you? Of course you do–we all do. That’s where we met in person, gave each other hugs, We all remember those. You know, where we gave each other hugs, love, handshakes, high fives, and sat close together in groups to establish good personal and professional relationships. Now we network by sitting in front of a screen on a zoom call wondering who is wearing pants. Or not.

During that particular networking meeting, after we greeted each other and shared the love, the facilitator went around the room and share what our word for the year was going to be. Immediately the word ‘clarity’ popped into my mind. After all, my personal and professional life were on a roll, and I was already gaining insights to what I wanted to accomplish in the new year, and all I needed was a little bit of clarity.

It was interesting that a lot of the other attendees chose the word ‘vision’ as their word of the year. Everyone was so full of optimism, enthusiasm, and hope for a fantastic new year. And then it all fell apart. However, in retrospect we all learned a lot during the past 12 months. We learned how to adapt, and there has been a lot of growth in many ways. And I think we’ve all learned not to take things for granted, set better boundaries, and decide what our priorities should be. And how to stock up on toilet paper.

It’s easier to analyze and evaluate situations when we’re looking back on them in the past, than when we’re in the present moment. And we can all gain some clarity from this past year. It all depends on how you look at it. After all, hindsight is 2020.