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6 Life Lessons I learned in the first half of 2020
Updated: Aug 23, 2020
"Hello? It's me. I was wondering if after all these months you'd like to meet. To go over everything. They say that time's supposed to heal ya...but"...lol so maybe I shouldn't leave my day job to become a Grammy Award-winning singer, but nothing tried, nothing gained.
Hey guys, Welcome Back! And to our new subscribers Welcome to the neighborhood we're happy to have you. I hope in the 2 months I've been gone you've been doing well and of course, Keeping Your Mental Health in Check. 2020 hasn't been easy but somehow we've already made it through the first half of the year. *Alexa play "Congratulations" by Post Malone*.
So 6 months down, 6 more to go and I'm sure if nothing else, this year and more specifically the first half of it, has definitely taught each of us some very important life lessons. Having put some thought into what these lessons have been for me, I decided to create this post so that as a community we could all share the lessons we’ve learned and maybe even help one another, to survive 2020.
Lesson #1 - Life is Fragile
Ever got a package with the label fragile on it and you took extra care when lifting or carrying it because you were afraid that something inside would break? Well, that's kinda how life is. If we aren’t careful about the ways we treat and care for our bodies then our susceptibility to loss of life is heightened. A lot of people have lost their lives in 2020 and I’m not trying to say this could have been avoided, because frankly when it’s your time there’s really nothing you can do about it but, as best as possible treat your bodies like a fragile package whose contents if not carefully lifted, can break.
Lesson #2 - Live in the Moment
In my lifetime, I’ve met many people who've said that if they knew how and when they were going to die, leading up to their death, there are many things they would do differently from their regular routine. For example, if they were in school studying and found out they only had one month left to live, they’d stop attending school and spend that last month doing and living the kind of life they always thought they would be able to live in the future. They would travel the world, eat at expensive restaurants etc. Now, I can’t blame people for thinking this way because I too have also thought this way previously, but now with everything happening in 2020, the truth of the matter is, you really don’t know when your last day will be. So my advice? Live every day like it is your last and don’t put off anything you can do today for tomorrow.
Lesson #3 - Man plans, God wipes out
Don’t I know this oh so well? The year started off great, there were so many experiences I was looking forward to. So many outfit designs I planned in my head, for each event I was sure I’d attend and guess what? By the middle of March, it was bye-bye plans, bye-bye fun and hello quarantine. I’m still slowly wrapping my head around things and tbh for the first month I was optimistic that the situation would change so I kept making plans. Lol, but now I’ve learned to live in the moment and take it as I get it, because it’s uncertain what life may throw at you next, much less a minute from now.
Lesson #4 - Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations
I’ve seen a lot of people complaining on social media about how bad 2020 has been and I’ll admit in many ways, it hasn’t been the best, but what if 2020 is just what we needed to make us so uncomfortable that we’d finally realize it’s time to get our shit together? For the first month or two people complained 24/7 about being in quarantine, then when being ‘bored in the house’ started getting to them they realized that they could actually put quarantine time to good use. Some people, like myself, pursued online courses, others kick-started their businesses, some started new remote work jobs and still others started blogs and podcasts they’ve always wanted to do but never had the “time” to. You see, this level of productivity could never, for me, be a bad thing. So yes, Covid19 is bad but I love the view that’s at the end of this road, it’s quite beautiful wouldn’t you agree?
Lesson #5 - Having multiple streams of income is King
I’m sure if you asked people a few months ago how secure their job was? They would have probably responded with "very secure", but ask them the same question today and they’ll probably hit you with that “I’m not really sure”. You see, another lesson I’ve learned from the first half of 2020 is that one source of income is way too close to zero; and America’s current unemployment rate which is now at an all-time high, surely speaks to that fact.
Discovering that people can work from home and that a simple software can do twice as much, in less amount of time has become a bosses greatest joy. Not only can he now get the job done in less time, but also, he doesn’t have to pay anyone to do it, hence saving himself some money.
Yet, this is only part of the issue. Many persons may not have lost their job as a result of the pandemic but they weren’t far away from it either. Imagine having to do just as much work as you did before or in some cases even more work, yet now your company tells you that due to the current economic situation you will be paid less. In no way can such a situation ever be fair but unfortunately, that’s just how the world of work works. So just remember that you are expendable and the best way to “secure the bag” is to do so with several streams of income; if and when the worst comes, at least you know you'll be prepared.
Lesson #6 - Cherish those closest to you
During these last few months, I've seen many stories of people being left devastated because they were unprepared for the possibility that their loved one could be taken away from them in the blink of an eye. 2020 has definitely given the “last time” you see someone a whole new meaning.
This isn’t quite the same but take, for example, University students who lived on halls of residences. Yesterday they were chilling with their friends, having a grand time, and Today they’re being asked to evacuate the compound, not exactly sure when they’ll see each other again. As heartbreaking as that situation is, it doesn’t compare to having a loved one tell you they’ll “be right back” only for them to never make it back to you alive.
The emotional strain of such occurrences are made even worse, when the last time you saw a loved one the meet abruptly ended owing to a petty argument that could’ve easily been resolved but unfortunately, you didn’t know that, that “last time” was also going to be their “last time”.Remember Kobe Bryant? Famous basketball player whose passing almost literally broke the internet? Well, I’m sure his wife and kids are still looking forward to him and Gianna walking back through that door saying she won that basketball game any second now, but with the snap of a finger, a cool afternoon turned into the worst day of their lives.
I don’t mean to revisit tragic situations but I’m just trying to say that within these experiences there are life lessons. You never know which day will be your last or the last of your loved ones, so cherish every moment you spend together like it’s your last.
As always thank you for reading. If you haven't already, go follow us on Instagram@survivingyour20somethings and on Facebook@survivingyour20somethings. Don't forget to like, share, subscribe and share one lesson you learned in the first half of 2020 in the comments below. See you guys next week!!!
