10 Things I Learned in 2020
- Your health — both physical and mental — is the most important thing and should always be your number 1 priority.
- Interacting with even one person that radiates positive energy can completely change the course of your day and turn a day day into a good one.
- I don’t have to go to a coffee shop or library (or another public setting) to get work done. I can actually be productive in my room.
- Spending time with friends, even if it is through FaceTime or Zoom, is extremely important in order to stay sane and be happy.
- Writing down things that you are grateful for leads to more happiness and presence in the moment.
- Being a team player, having a growth mindset, and just being an overall pleasant person to work with is more important than your skillset or competencies (especially early on in your career).
- Being complicit when witnessing acts of racial injustice is just as harmful as being racist.
- Sometimes when you lose an opportunity, it can be a blessing in disguise and there can be a better opportunity waiting for you.
- Phone banking and canvassing is challenging and can be soul-drenching at times, but it is what wins campaigns at the end of the day.
- Spending even 15–20 minutes doing my makeup and/or hair every morning causes me to have a more productive and better day.
In 2020, so many things happened that have changed the world in a way that I never could’ve imagined or predicted. The COVID-19 pandemic began, causing people to lose their lives, businesses to shut down, unprecedented numbers of people filling for unemployment, and long lines of people waiting in front of food banks. It is important to be honest and not sugarcoat our current reality. While there is a lot of bad that happened, there is also a lot of good. We are having a national conversation about systematic racism in a way that we never have before. We were able to slow down and enjoy moments with the loved ones that we are self-isolating with. We have gained a new appreciation for nature since we are mostly cooped up inside all day. I have learned and grown so much this past year, and I can’t wait to see all of the learnings and growth in store for me in 2021.
