What I learned in 2020 and how I plan to navigate 2021

 

At first, I was annoyed that there were so many restrictions on what can/cannot be done. And the media wasn't helping with spates of bad news from all over the world. If there was a light at the end of the tunnel, it was so dim that I wasn't even catching a glimmer of anything. 

But the moment I realized that I couldn't change what was happening in the world, I decided to focus on changing my attitude and making the best of the situation. 

If I was going to cook meals for my family, I will learn new dishes and challenge myself creatively. With the change in perspective, even the weekly grocery run became a tad more interesting as I combined my love of bargain shopping with the need to feed my family nutritious food.

To cut down on buying processed food, I made lots of food from scratch. From chicken broth to pasta sauce to homemade noodles to bread and other pastries. With no daily need to commute or travel, all the time I used to spend waiting at the airport for flights and luggage could be devoted to the mastery of cooking. 

Every day I look forward to the protein that my mum has taken out from the freezer for the day's meals and my mind starts to think of creative ways to make a nutritious and delicious meal. I'm not going to lie and say that it was a breeze. Because it wasn't. It would take me a long time to cut the garlic, onions and veggies.And I was spending most of my free time watching YouTube videos on how to cook certain dishes. Or there would be some home repairs to tend to and I had to learn how to use tools.

Something had to give though...I wasn't spending as much time on my scrapbooking and drawing because I was really exhausted at the end of the day. Most nights I was in bed by 9pm. Sometimes 8.45pm. Yep, even my folks can make it to 10pm. *LOL*

2020 was the first year in all my years of blogging that I had NOTHING pre-scheduled to post. Every blog post was done on the day itself. When I made a quick card for the blog post, it was probably done the hour before. Sometimes I might do 3 or 4 projects on the weekend and have something to post but the actual blog post was written on the post date.

But I picked up so many skills and learned how strong I could be - in mind and in spirit. And for that, I am grateful for 2020. 

In 2021, I want to advance further in my self-growth. I started a journal on January 1st. Some people have separate journals for bullet journaling, gratitude journaling, brain-dumping and affirmations. Mine is a single journal where I can do everything in it. *winks*

In January I did daily journaling but it was such a chore that in February I decided to journal every few days instead. And I enjoy the process so much more. Of course, I have to challenge myself when it comes to journaling too. My affirmations are written with my left hand (I am right-handed) just to force my brain to focus because I have to write a lot slower. 

I also started a 5 minute meditation in the mornings when I'm still in bed. Meditation is hard and right now, I just focus on my breathing for a start. Since I am an early riser, I've started to use my early mornings to do my art stuff like scrapbooking and drawing. Which is working out much better because my night time ritual is a lot more relaxing and I am sleeping.a lot better. :)

What about you? How has 2021 been for you? Are you on track with your goals?