Is it 2021 Yet?

I hear a lot of people asking this question- hoping for 2021 and wishing away 2020. I often find myself thinking this, as well.

But here is the deal- when the calendar changes to January 1st, there is not going to be some magical transformation. Covid-19 will still be a thing, partial and full shutdowns will still be happening, the United States political divide will still be there and racial inequality is not going to disappear at the stroke of midnight.

I don’t believe in New Years resolutions just as I do not believe that a new year is a “fresh start.” What makes January 1st so special? Time is a construct and we place false hope on the turn of a calendar page to a new year.

So here is what I do believe. I believe that we should set small daily goals all of the time, no matter what month or season it is. I believe the goals you set for yourself on August 7th or March 3rd or November 13th is just as important as a January 1st goal. I believe that setting and working towards goals and desired outcomes is a skill that you should hone all year long.

The “I’ll start the diet on Monday” attitude often gives full permission to not take care of yourself until Monday. The “I’ll join the gym in the new year” stated on December 3rd gives you 28 days of not going to the gym. Imagine what you could have accomplished in those 4 weeks had you started then. The “When I turn 40, I am going to quit drinking or chocolate or carbs” thought process seems flawed to me because the older you get, the more ingrained habits have become. Why not start at 35?

So lets attach this to the “Is it 2021 yet?” thought process. No, it is not. The day this was written was November 14th and you are likely reading it in 2020. (If you are reading it in 2021 then apply this to “is it the end of the school year yet?” or “is it summer yet?” thought process) So as I write this, I have 48 more days of 2020. That is 48 chances to wake up and change the world. 48 chances to move my body. 48 chances to eat a healthy dinner. 48+ chances to connect with someone. 48 chances to show up fully in my day. 48 chances to go to bed early. 48 chances to get up early and enjoy the peace of the quiet morning. 48 chances to try something new.

Yeah, 2020 has thrown some doozies at us. We started with Australian wildfires, were sent home for a lockdown in March due to the Coronavirus, watched as black and brown men and women were killed at the hands of police, had peaceful Black Lives Matter protests turn violent, saw thousands and thousands of people die from Covid-19, watched as people refused to wear a mask and the mask debate became political instead of common sense protection of ourselves and others, saw the east coast in the United States under water from hurricanes while the west coast burned under dozens of wildfires and watched one of the most important elections of our lifetimes play out and take days to find a winner and the current president claimed fraud tearing at the fabric of our democracy. Those are just the big stories of 2020. There are all of the other times that were so difficult from millions of kids taking classes from home, parents juggling a full time job and virtual school of three kids, millions of people facing unemployment as they were furloughed or companies shut down, gyms amd restaurants and movie theatres closing for months and months and depression and anxiety running rampant through our country.

So yeah, 2020 has been a tough one. It will likely be the word of the year and will be used as an adjective for a long time. But let’s not give up on this year. Imagine if every person in the world did one act of kindness a day for the last 48 days. Or if everyone took 5 minutes a day to be grateful for what they have. Or if everyone worked towards their goals now and not waited until January 1st. We could change the end of this year and still find a way to thrive amongst the chaos.

What will you do for the rest of 2020 to turn the page into 2021 and not feel like you have to make some big change or declaration for the new year? What habits can you continue or let go of now? What goals can you set today? What actions and choose can take place now?

Let’s finish 2020 on a strong note. We have a choice. I will choose to keep moving through this chaos and work to make my corner of the world a better place. Join me?