As 2020 came to its long-awaited end, all I could think about is what I wanted from 2021 that 2020 didn’t give me. If you’re anything like me, this tumultuous year put a lot of things into perspective. Things that once seemed important were drowned out by the neverending noise of 2020. The year that exhausted all of us showed me that the most important things in life are not tangible nor temporary. The most important things in life are the mentality and ethic we set forward as we push through life and the obstacles it throws at us. After experiencing one of the most mentally and physically draining years of my life, I thought to myself of everything I want to strive for this year. This is my 2021 resolution.
The biggest lesson I learned in 2020 was that you can have a million plans in your head for your life, and not a single one of them can end up happening because that’s life. You’re always told to plan, and as a triple Virgo, that’s something embedded in me. However, never in a million years did I think all the plans I set forward would be interrupted by a worldwide pandemic. Who would’ve thought? Truthfully, we get so caught up planning for the future that we don’t live in the now, and we end up disappointed when the future doesn’t happen the way you wanted it to. This year, my goal is to invest in myself now. Work on being the best version of myself now rather than waiting for those moments to come, because the moments are already here. We just don’t even realize it. Don’t wait for the “right time” because the right time is an illusion. There is never a right time because there will always be something going on. There will always be outside forces that intervene in your plans. But the key is having the courage to keep striving and keep going despite these outside influences. This year I plan on graduating and opening the pathways for law school in the future. My goal for the year is to continue preparing myself for that moment while still allowing myself to enjoy the moment I’m currently in.
2020 was a year that really tested relationships. Whether it be romantic, friendships, or family connections, they were all put to the test. I used to think that the more people I surrounded myself with, the more I was worth. My first mistake was thinking that other people determine my worth. I’ve learned that you can be in a room full of people and still feel lonely or be in a room with two people and feel a real connection. It is quality over quantity. I’ve learned that people come into your life, and while you might think they’re meant to be there forever, some are simply just not meant to. One of the biggest heartbreaks is losing a best friend you thought you’d grow old with. 2020 showed me that sometimes we confuse time with value, and while every person or relationship has its special value and purpose, they also have their own time. In 2021, I’m accepting that sometimes people move on and friendships end, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t worth it. I’m going into this year with the mentality that what is meant to be will be, and what isn’t will go.
For many, this year was so hard financially. With a pandemic that has taken over our everyday lives, working and living became much harder and stressful. I think, before the pandemic, I took a lot of things for granted. I took financial stability and conformity for granted. This year, I want to always be prepared and wise when it comes to how I handle money. I also want to always stay grateful for what I do have. We saw people go through their absolute worst and lose everything they had due to the pandemic. I believe that collectively as a community we need to help each other rather than compete with each other. The circumstances of 2020 showed the true colors of humanity, and I want to take that with me into 2021. Underneath all the labels, goals, and accomplishments everyone’s the same.
In quarantine, I picked up a long-lost hobby; reading. When I was in middle and high school, I used to read all the time. Then, when I got to college, I told myself I was too busy. But once I started reading again, I couldn’t stop. To me, reading is immersing yourself in a story and playing it out in your head. I realized that reading allows me to step away from my reality for a while and escape into a story. This was extremely healthy and helpful for me in 2020 because when the world was just chaos, and it felt like every time you turned on the news it was just more chaos. It felt good to pick up a book and step away from all the chaos. In 2021, I want to try to read at least 2-3 books a month.
With the mess that was 2020, I learned how valuable your space is and how critical it is to surround yourself with people that don’t jeopardize that space. Even in college, some people still take up a highschool mentality, and their aura becomes competitive. If your goal is to compete with others, then you’re not prioritizing yourself. You shouldn’t be competing with anyone but yourself. We live in a world where everyone is just trying to figure it out, whatever it is. The reality is that even the people who look like they have it figured out, don’t. The second you stop caring about where you stand in ranks with others is when you finally work on yourself. I found myself surrounded by people that didn’t stand for the values I wanted in my life, and it took a toll on me. It’s okay to cut ties with people who are toxic to your space or whose aura just brings you down. This year, I want to hold no grudges and just be while still being open-minded, but guarding my space.
But just as I have all these wishes, the universe is unpredictable. The only thing we can do is continually strive for our goals and living in the now because, at the end of the day, we have no idea what this year has in store for us.