Without a doubt 2020 had an impact on the lives of all human beings across the world, and for the first time, the world we once knew had seemed to disappear.
At the start of the pandemic, we thought it was some sort of vacation and we would be back to “normal” in just a few short weeks, but little did we know that this pandemic was here to stay.
While the last 9 months certainly haven’t been easy on the world, with so many losing their lives, falling ill, experiencing a loss of a job(s), and just the impact COVID-19 has had, as I mentioned in my previous blog post, 2020 hasn’t been all that bad for me.
Part of me feels guilty for saying that, but it’s how I feel. Why would I choose to focus on the negatives when 2020 has actually been a relatively good year for me considering.
3 Ways 2020 Positively Changed My Life
So what changed? How can I possibly think 2020 has been a good year given everything that’s gone on in the world?
My Relationship With Money
Starting the year, I was an incredibly frugal person. To some extent, I am still a frugal person, but now I am not afraid to treat myself. If there’s something I want, I’m not as hesitant to buy it.
This doesn’t mean that I go out and spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on purchases that simply aren’t going to benefit me in any way. Instead, I now save my money until there’s something that I really want, then I simply just buy it.
To give you some context as to how frugal I was, I remember many times where I would be checking out at the grocery store and would want a bottle of soda. I would pick it up, and right before I would scan it, I would put it back because I didn’t want to spend $2 on a soda. Instead, I would just save that money and sit on it.
There’s something to be said when you fall into this mentality. Over time, you begin to wonder if you are “deserving” of anything you want – you begin to restrict yourself for so long that even the basics begin to feel like rewards.
That isn’t a mindset I would recommend falling into. Life is about balance. It’s about enjoying the here and now while also preparing for what’s ahead. As long as you find that sense of balance, don’t be scared to treat yourself. Life is short and you deserve to enjoy the time you have.
I Found A Sense of Balance
This didn’t really come until the beginning of August when I found myself lying in a hospital bed struggling to move and my only concern was how I was going to get a blog post up in time for the next day feeling the way I felt.
Yeah, I was on a mission to reach 1,000 consecutive days of daily blogging. I wanted to reach that goal badly, but God had a different plan for me, and I finally surrendered to it. I’m glad I finally did surrender because now ‘balance’ is a word that impacts my life greatly.
In everything I do, I try to find balance. I never want to get so caught up in one thing that I fail to acknowledge the millions of possibilities and opportunities that life throws my way.
Finding a sense of balance has also helped me to become a little more relaxed and open to new opportunities. I have found that I have been a little less fearful of actually putting myself out there and am instead just enjoying each new day for the amazing gift that it is.
My Relationships With Food
This change came last as I have only begun to change my relationship with food, but since December 3rd, I haven’t had any slip-ups regarding food. This has been the longest stretch I have gone without purging in nearly 3 years. Let me tell you, I feel like a fucking rockstar for finally being able to get ahold of an illness that has taken so much from me.
There’s just something about being able to eat once again without the desire to purge everything up that is freeing and liberating. I have also began to realize that I don’t need to purge or restrict myself only to certain foods in order to be healthy. Quite the opposite actually. I needed to loosen up a bit if I wanted to look healthier.
Again, it’s all coming down to that word – balance. Everything in life comes down to balance, and that is something that I have learned over the last year and hope to expand on as we move into 2021.
What Did You Learn?
Yeah, no question that it’s been a bit of a different year, but what are some of the things that you took away from 2020? What are some of the positives that you can think of that will positively impact your life moving forward?
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