• A bright future and better days need not need to await January. It can start right now
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There are only two months to the end of 2020! This year has undoubtedly been the most disastrous year in recent history. From raging wild fires in Australia to natural devastations, we have seen it all.
Locusts swarmed the farmlands of Kenya and giant Asian murder hornets showed up in California. Race and police brutality riots took place in most parts of the world. Worst of all, the outbreak of a global pandemic that claimed the lives of millions.
Even the older generations who lived through wars, civil movements and other pandemics can agree that this year is unlike any other time in history that they have witnessed. We have suffered just as much from the actual tragedies as we have from their aftermaths.
Think about the coronavirus. While most countries went into lockdown around March and reopened their borders in August, they have not recovered from the losses yet. The socioeconomic devastation that served as the ripple effect of the corona pandemic will be felt for a long time to come.
The Internet is full of musings that suggest how 2020 is an apocalyptic year. In between our cries from the pain inflicted by 2020, we have had a good laugh at the memes that seemed to summarise the feelings of 2020 perfectly. The cancel movement proposed cancelling 2020 and moving to 2021 by June. It is clear that the people have had enough of continuous calamities.
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However, the good news is that we survived. The even better news is that we have become stronger after enduring the series of unfortunate events that unfolded upon us like luckless Russian nesting dolls. Instead of looking forward to the year ending so that our fate can change according to astrology, we should take it upon ourselves to ensure we end the year on a good note.
The first thing we can do to make the best of the remaining time in 2020 is to change our mindsets. Sure, 2020 was a bad year. Yes, it knocked us off our feet and sunk us in despair. However, the saying goes that it is always darkest before dawn. We have to believe that the worst has passed and that dawn is upon us. You have to make yourself see a bright future and better days ahead. This does not need to start on January 1. It can start right now.
Lately, I have been fascinated by the concept manifestation. Sometimes referred to as the law of attraction, the law of manifestation states that your thoughts and energy have the ability to create your reality. You do not have to be a spiritualist to believe in manifestation. The concept is basically physics; what you are is what you attract. By having positive thoughts, we project positive energy, thereby attracting positive energy. It is recommended to start your morning by manifesting the things you wish for in life.
The second thing we can do is to live for the moment. If 2020 has taught us anything, it is that nothing is guaranteed in life and that we take a lot for granted. We have taken our freedom of movement, health and families for granted. We need to learn to live for today. If you want to start a business, do so today, if you want to be healthy, start today, and if you want to tell someone how much they mean to you, then tell them today!
Lastly, we ought to use the experiences from 2020 as lessons that taught us on what to do in times of calamity and how we can prepare in advance for such things. When my husband first suggested getting insurance against job loss, I dismissed the idea as impractical and unnecessary. The massive job losses and salary cuts that employees have gone through this year showed me just how wrong I was.
We should not think of this year as a bad phase that will just pass. We need to use this experience as a guide for the possibility of facing such situations in future. We can all take a leaf from the Scout motto: Be Prepared.