What Theme Would You Give the Year 2020? | Reflections on 2020 | Conversations With the Browns
Mister Brown and Andrea take a look back on the highs and lows of 2020
We’ve heard all kinds of colorful language being used to describe the 2020 experience. What is the first thing that comes to mind when you look back on the year 2020? Do certain words or themes come to mind? Today, we decided to ask ourselves that same question and see if there was anything positive to look back on. It turns out there are some positives when you choose to look for the good. We encourage you to listen to today’s episode and see if you can find the positives from 2020 for yourself.
Whether you’re happy it’s leaving or you’re celebrating it, we should all give 2020 some applause. The truth is, we all had a lot of hopes and dreams for this year. With it being such a whole, round number, it seemed that 2020 had a lot going for it.
Then in February to March, all of the shutdowns started rolling out. We had no idea then that we would still be dealing with COVID-19 now. There have been a lot of ups and downs and maybe more downs, but we want to encourage you with a more optimistic look back on the 2020 year.
Opportunity for greatness | Mister Brown’s theme for 2020
The year 2020 can be viewed as the year of opportunity.
When we face adversity, we can choose to thrive through it or be crushed by it. It may be hard to wrap your mind around it in the midst of challenge, but people want to thrive. The year has definitely been tough, but how will we make it out of 2020? Do we want to be better people for the challenges we have faced? That happens when we look for the good.
Growing up, I didn’t have a lot. I learned to appreciate all that I had no matter how small it was. That has caused me to focus on what I can do and not focus on what I can’t do. Challenges are an opportunity to overcome and look at the lessons we have learned along the way. Even if we haven’t met all of our goals, we can still move forward. Greatness doesn’t happen when things are comfortable. The trial causes work to be done.
“The strongest, sturdiest, most long-lasting trees are ones that grow in such small ways that you cannot see it.” ~Andrea Brown
Think small | Andrea Brown’s theme for 2020
The year 2020 has been an opportunity to slow down and embrace the small things in life.
Normally, the pace of life is so fast-moving that it can cover up the small details. Yes, we are at home more now and that has its own challenges. But now there is the time to nurture the relationships we need to and to work on the small details that may have been overlooked before. When we realize that there are cracks in our relationships, in our homes, and in our communities, we can work on them. We can work on them in a way that won’t let them get crowded out again when the world gets back to “normal.”
The year has been freeing for me. I can let go of the results and just do my best to show up for what life brings. We do a lot of functioning with the illusion that we control more than we do. Choosing well and planning are still important, but our choices don’t control the world. It is freeing to realize we aren’t in control of everything. I have found it easier to hone in on what is truly mine to control and focus on.
The things that are most important are built in small moments. The strongest, sturdiest, most long-lasting trees are ones that grow in such small ways that you cannot see it. It is about daily, small faithfulness. Being at home more has shown that we can’t just shove things away. We can find more depth and substance in our lives through the small moments.
Do choices really matter in the year 2020 and beyond?
It may seem like a lot of our freedoms and choices have been stripped away, but choices still matter. We may not control all of the outcomes, but we can choose how we respond to situations we don’t control. We can recognize when life is difficult, but we can still move forward. We only control the work we do and the outlook we choose to have about the year 2020 and beyond.
The pandemic has forced us to slow down. In slowing down, there has been opportunity for greatness. There have been opportunities to slow down and enjoy the small things in life. Often, the world wants us to think that if we can’t do it big, we can’t do it at all. The saying is, “Go big or go home.” Doing the small things does matter. Taking care of yourself, spending time with your loved ones, slowing down are all ways of leaving 2020 behind a greater person than you were when you entered it.
This has been a good practice to sit and reflect back on the year 2020. We all have a shared experience with the pandemic, but there are very different experiences happening to each one of us. What some people may have thought has been a curse, to others, it has been a gift. We all have different perspectives on the same event.
What did you think about today’s conversation? What would your theme be for 2020? Have you found opportunities for greatness and time to think small in 2020? Tell us about it.
Send us your questions and your thoughts. Let’s continue this conversation.
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