2020 is nothing short of remarkable — in good and bad ways. If anything I learn from this year, it is about how to deal with uncertainty. I’m one of the people who were hopelessly optimistic at the beginning of this year, and then Covid hit. What we thought was a month or two lockdowns turned out to be a year or more. And then the killing of innocent black lives was brought to light, the protest against injustice and brutality — something I thought would only happen in the third world country but here in America? A country I looked up to and thought to be the most progressive in human rights. And now it’s election time — it’s been a few days now we still don’t know the result, but I’m continuing to be hopeful. Talking about uncertain times, it has to be 2020. This is probably the year that my anxiety level hits record high.
Looking at the bright side, what is happening in America and in the world right now has taught me a lot of things. As someone who’s somewhat new to the country, culture, and history, I started to educate myself on a lot of things, especially around racial discrimination, systematic racism, the criminal justice system, the long history of privilege…. the more I learn, the more I feel sad and angry and motivated to do anything to help make things better. I also become more aware of my own privilege — not from my skin color but the privilege to have higher education and the privilege to be raised in a good family and be surrounded by so many amazing people — the privilege of my social circle, a blissful bubble.
Uncertain times call for reflections — in both personal and professional life. Things like: what/who truly matters in life? What kind of work gives me the most satisfaction? What inspires me to do my best work? How do I add value? If I could do anything and not fail, what would I do? What do I want to be known for? What should I do more of, and less of, in order to make a difference both personally and professionally?
As a famous saying goes “you can’t do the same thing over and over again and expect a different result” — same with growth, we have to get out of our comfort zone, and fearlessly embrace change. I look at 2020 as a year of growth, a year that challenges our routine, and forces us to think and do things unconventionally, a year that allows us to question and take action on the most important social and political issues. After all, we grow from pain and discomfort. We’ll be a strong bunch coming out of 2020, and I couldn’t be more excited for a positive change.
