Reflections of 2020: Looking Back and Moving Forward

It seems 100 years has passed since writing last years Year-end article. Moving into 2020, we were filled with hope, vision, aspirations, goals, and looking forward to a perfect year. Afterall, 2020 is considered a visionary number and we were all looking forward with big visions. 

But life likes to throw us curve balls. No one could have ever predicted the year 2020 turned out to be. The world was not prepared. 2020 has been a year of many tribulations and hardships, sadness, frustrations, and discourse. But as a humanity, we are strong, especially when we come together. And sometimes, it's through the hardships that we survive and become stronger. 

That's what I believe. That's how I have lived my life. With every hardship, I have learned and grown stronger. With every failure, I have become more successful. And while many individual lives have been lost and my heart goes out to all of those who lost someone dear, society is learning from this pandemic. And as a species, we will become stronger. 

As we enter into 2021, we have hope with a vaccine that can help us rid the world of this pandemic. COVID is strong, but as a human species, we are stronger. 

This brings me to the thoughts of how much we have in common. While we may have differences of opinion, different political beliefs, different religious beliefs, different methods of parenting, working and living our day to day lives, we are all united in the fact that we are not invincible. We are human. We all experience pain, joy, sadness, pleasure, anger, frustrations, peace and love. We all have to eat, fight off illnesses, and breathe. We all want to be happy, loved and healthy. 

With the holidays upon us, we celebrate this year filled with joy for surviving this year and sorrow for those lost. We celebrate the hope that tomorrow will bring, the hope that we will conquer COVID, the hope that we can recover and rebuild, and the hope that we can continue to move forward uniting together for the sake of all. 

While my goals and resolutions are typically self-focused on me as an individual and as an entrepreneur, this year my resolutions are a bit different.

My #1 resolution for this year is to remain positive and hopeful for the end of the pandemic. This past year has been so easy to become angry, frustrated, annoyed, anxious, lonely, hopeless, sad, and fearful. Staying positive isn't always easy when you are stuck at home, missing friends, outings, and events. And while I slip into my own frustrations from time to time, I always snap back by looking forward to a better time ahead. And to quote Disney, I "Keep Moving Forward."

My 2nd resolution is to keep finding ways to try to help people come together and unite in our commonalities. Holidays are a great way to unite people, whether it is through daily fun holidays, or by learning and exploring how others celebrate and embracing their cultures. Our goal at HolidaySmart this year is to share the stories of unity around the world and showcase how people are coming together through hardships, through the pandemic, through fun, and through love. 

My son created this video: Seeing Hope Through Movies which raised my spirit at a time when I was feeling frustrated. This compilation of Movie moments with inspirational quotes, is what we all need moving forward with hope into the new year. Check it out and share the love. 

Here's to a Happy and Successful Life, Health, and Love in the New Year!