What did you learn in 2020?

Let me start by asking you: what did you learn in 2020?

It was a different year, full of challenges that we won't soon forget. Everything we believed we had and were went down the drain almost overnight. Our world shook. And our body and soul either fought back or melted like a chocolate ice cream in the sun.

Do you believe it was a lost year? Or did you take the opportunity to upgrade yourself? Do you complain about what you've lost or do you feel that, on the contrary, you've actually gained something, although you don't really know what that is?

Nobody can deny that, in 2020, we did not celebrate our birthdays with our 26 friends and over 100 acquaintances, as we'd anticipated. We also didn't take those two trips we'd been planning since 2015. And, of course, we didn't have our usual Friday dinners.

Beyond that! We didn't go to a single music festival in 2020. Just as we were about to attend every single festival, out of the blue, comes Mr. Coronavirus. It just had to be the year when we'd even bought tickets to a theatre play. It was going to be shown at the Casino de Lisboa [Lisbon Casino] and we'd even planned to play a bit of poker that night. Luck might've been on our side...

So, what about summer?! At the beach, we kept looking over our shoulder to see if someone was breathing all over us. What about remote working? It's like a Mexican soap opera: alarm clock, kids, remote school, internet down, cries for help, meeting after meeting, endless hours with your bum on a chair... you get the idea, right?

And so many other things we were going to do but couldn't on account of Mr. Coronavirus. Were we, though? Would you really have done all the things you now complain you couldn't do?

Assuming you would actually have done all of that, let me ask anyway: have you thought about what you learned in 2020?

There are skills that all companies value and which are considered the soft skills of success. 'Hang on!', you might be thinking. 'What does Mr. Coronavirus have to do with skills?'

Maybe I am being romantic, but I think that 2020 was the year in which, all of us, without exception – even if not by choice – gained something or improved something in ourselves. 'How?', you may ask. Think it through with me:

Teamwork

If you agree with the idea that 'together we are stronger' and that 'one for all and all for one' is a motto worth following, just like the three musketeers, then I have good news. You already know how to work as part of a team. In fact, we're masters of teamwork now. Thanks to Mr. Coronavirus, everyone was stuck at home, so we had the opportunity to work on this skill. We're experts at it, now! At home, each of us have our own role to play. In concert and carried out to perfection, these roles translate into the full achievement of family goals. Sometimes, compliance is in the red, but we keep trying to make sure we improve day by day.

Continuous learning

Who among us didn't look for new dinner recipes? Who didn't step up their creativity and challenge themselves to make a dish they already knew by heart differently and pray it would work? But, at the table, did you discuss what could have been done better? Did you welcome feedback from your family and see it as a challenge and an opportunity to learn? If you answered 'yes', then you're on the right track.

Interpersonal relationships

Did you strengthen the emotional ties you already had? Did you show empathy for your family when you phoned them to find out if everything was OK? And, at home, did you collaborate on any projects and show empathy for your children when they were already showing signs of fatigue from sitting in front of a computer for so many hours when they should have been running around outside?

Proactivity

How many times have you said you wanted to do this or that and never did? During this year, did you move past talking and start acting? Did you fix that broken chair? Did you refurbish that piece of furniture? If you have walked the walk instead of just talking the talk, then you've improved your ability to make decisions and achieve goals.

Assertive communication

Did you go days without going into your child's room? When you worked up the courage to go in and you saw that the place was a "pigsty", how did you express yourself? Were you assertive and clear? Did you open your eyes so wide that you looked like the big bad wolf in Little Red Riding Hood? While listening to your child's fantastical justifications that sounded more like the Star Wars saga than anything else, were you able to silently count to 100 with a smile on your face? If you answered 'yes', you're improving your active listening. And if, in the end, your child did what they needed to do, then you communicated wonderfully.

Adaptability

Suddenly, the house is full 24/7. Did you react well to having to live with everyone at home every minute of your life? Did you take it well that everyone knew exactly what everyone else was up to, and see it as an opportunity to grow? Whenever your youngest came to sit on your lap when you were on an important call, how did you react? Have you reflected on these things? How do you adapt to change?

Leading people

I confess – under my breath – that I don't like to cook. Rather, I find it a waste to spend too much time in the kitchen. Well! I tried to show the little ones at home that it was 'cool' to peel potatoes and make 'stuff' to eat. Over the past year, I was able to understand what each one of them excels in. The result: we have a whole menu for every day of the week. One is the expert in healthy breakfasts, snacks, desserts and vegetarian dishes; the other is the soup chef. They're fantastic! How would I not be completely useless in the kitchen?

Resilience

This is the ability to solve problems, face obstacles and quickly regain balance. I believe this is exactly what we all did on a daily basis during 2020. Do I need to give you examples?

It's been a tough, challenging year, but full of opportunities for us to improve. I hope you grabbed that opportunity with both hands.

So, I ask you: what did you learn in 2020?