20 Positive Things I Learned In 2020: Happy New Year!

This post is all about 20 Positive Things I Learned in 2020!

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Happy New Year!! After a difficult year, we can finally say that we made it through 2020. Although 2020 had its fair share of difficulties, there were some positive things that I learned from the year that I want to highlight.

I hope that these 20 positive things help you reflect on some of the things this year has taught you as well. I know that this will be a post that I enjoy looking back on in the future.

20 Positive Things I Learned in 2020!

1. Don’t take a single second for granted:

This is definitely easier said than done, but it really is important. We are all so lucky to be alive and have the opportunity to build relationships with others, create memories, learn, and have fun. We never know when the world is going to change and should be thankful for every second.

One way to practice this is through gratitude. Simply write three things that you are grateful for every morning when you wake up. This will help you live in the moment and appreciate the wonderful life we all have.

2. The importance of health:

At the end of the day, the heath of our family, friends, and self is the most important. We should all be doing what we can to take care of our physical and mental health daily.

Some simple daily tasks to ensure this is drinking enough water, cutting down on sugar, having a balanced diet, and exercising regularly.

3. We are lucky to live busy lives that give us a purpose:

This goes along with taking our lives for granted but with the hustle of everyday life, we often grow tired and sometimes even negative as a result. This year really put into perspective how lucky I am to live a busy life that fuels me and gives me purpose.

Life is slowly getting back to the regular day to day hustle. Even when you feel like you are too busy, try to remember how lucky you are to have a schedule full of things that you get to do instead of having to do. 🙂

4. The importance of friends and family:

This year definitely taught me the importance of having supportive family and friends by your side. These are the people that matter and will always be with you.

In the end, I was actually thankful that the quarantine kept me at home because it gave me time to bond with my family that I wouldn’t have if I didn’t stay home.

5. Time to relax:

Quarantine was definitely a good reset for everyone which I think we all needed. It gave us time to catch up on sleep, reflect on what is truly important and just spend more time with our families.

6. Time to reflect on what is truly important:

Quarantine gave us all time to reflect on what is truly important to us including our family, friends, health, and anything that we enjoy and gives us purpose.

7. Routines are important, but they are not always reliable:

I love a good routine but 2020 taught us that routines are not always very reliable. It’s important to plan out your days but it’s also important to be flexible to changing circumstances.

2020 challenged our planned out lives and showed us that we are capable of being flexible and going with the flow.

8. How to go with the flow:

This relates to lesson #7, but I definitely learned how to go with the flow this year. I was so used to my routine and wasn’t used to functioning without it.

2020 changed the structure of our daily lives and taught us how to deal with changes like a champ.

9. How to take online college courses:

If you would have told me last year that I would be taking the majority of my college classes online I never would have believed you.

Online classes definitely come with their fair share of difficulties but many of us didn’t let that stop us from continuing with our education and doing well in school which we should all be proud of.

I would say I am a lot more technologically savvy now as well which is a plus.

10. It’s good to be a germ freak haha:

2020 definitely made me more germ conscious which is a good thing! I wash my hands and use hand sanitizer religiously now which I don’t think I’ll ever stop doing haha.

11. The importance of solidarity:

Read my post about this important topic here: The Importance of Standing Up For What is Right

2020 really opened my eyes to the inequality still going on in the world. It’s sad that it had to take something like the death of George Floyd for myself and many other privileged individuals to learn more about this but it is a positive thing that more people are trying to create real change.

My blog has always been about living a positive and happy life. However, being positive does not mean that we have to be blind, ignorant, and silent about what is going on in the world.

2020 taught me that even though my privilege does not give me the perspective to understand what it is like to be black, I can still help to create real change. This year taught me the importance of educating myself about racial inequality and showing solidarity by sharing resources publically.

I will forever be grateful to 2020 for teaching me these important lessons and will always remember them.

12. Don’t compare yourself to others:

Ahh, this is a big one for me, anyone else? One of my favorite quotes is, “successful people never worry about what others are doing.”

I continuously go back to this quote because I have a really bad habit of comparing myself to others. 2020 taught me the importance of focusing my energy on bettering myself instead which is a game-changer.

13. The best memories aren’t always planned:

I really like this lesson because I don’t think I would of realized it without 2020. During quarantine I found myself looking at pictures on my phone from my freshman year at college.

My favorite pictures were the ones of my roommates and me in our dorm room or in the laundry room trying to balance a week’s worth of laundry in our hands. The random times that weren’t planned meant the most to me and always made me smile.

This is an important lesson because it reminds us that some of the best memories aren’t planned. They are just random times that are spent with the people you love.

14. New hobbies that I enjoy:

One of the best parts of 2020 for me was that it gave me a lot more time to blog which I really enjoy. I never took my blog seriously until the quarantine started because I had a lot more time on my hands.

I love sharing my college, high school, wellness, positivity tips, and tricks with you which is why I am glad 2020 gave me more time to pursue this blogging dream of mine.

15. There is good in the world, even if it’s not always obvious:

This year definitely highlighted the positive actions of many wonderful people who stepped up to help those in need.

It was an extremely difficult year for many and it was nice to see that there are kind and good people in this world that want to help others less fortunate than them.

16. Traditions can change and that is okay:

Easter of 2020 was the first holiday that I didn’t see my aunt and Poppop in person. It was definitely very weird but also nice to be able to facetime them and know that we were all safer apart.

Just like routines, traditions can change at any moment and that is okay.

17. The importance of meaningful human interaction and eye contact:

Looking back on my life prior to 2020 I definitely took for granted being able to see my friends and family in person and meaningful human interaction in general.

Eye contact was suddenly much more important because, with face masks, all you can really see is your friend or family member’s eyes. 2020 definitely made me more appreciative of interacting with others in public which I will always remember.

18. Don’t sweat the small stuff:

I think 2020 was a big eye-opener to what is really important in life. In our digital world especially, the number of followers we have or the number of likes we get on our pictures are important to a lot of people.

2020 taught us that shallow things like that really aren’t important and that we shouldn’t worry about small things that don’t impact who we are as individuals.

19. It’s important to keep up with politics:

This was the first year that I could vote in the election so that definitely played a part in my more active role in politics. However, I also think that this year taught us the importance of keeping up with politics and voting because every voice matters.

20. The lessons that can be learned from books and podcasts:

I’ve never been the biggest reader but recently I have realized that some of the best lessons I have learned come from the podcasts and books that I find. Lately, I have been more interested in information about organization, entrepreneurship, money, and productivity.

Basically, I am interested in reading (or listening) to anything that motivates me to grow. Some of the best books I’ve read and podcasts I’ve listened to in 2020 are below and they are all game-changers!

–Atomic Habits- My favorite book I read this year! This book teaches you how to form small habits and goals that create big results over time. It is written in a way that is really clear and easy to understand.

I even bought this book for my best friend for Christmas because it is so good and I definitely recommend it to everyone!

–Rich Dad Poor Dad– Really good! It really opens your mind to finance and teaches lessons that everyone should know.

-The Skinny Confidential Podcast- Talks about everything lifestyle and teaches so many great life lessons.