RESOURCES

We made it. At this point, most of us would probably like to put 2020 behind us and never look back. But, we usually learn the most from the difficult times. Before you push the entire year to the furthest recesses of your brain, please pause for a few moments and identify the good things you want to take with you into the future – such as what you’ve learned about yourself, your family, your team, and your priorities.

I was reminded of the famous Eleanor Roosevelt quote recently, “A woman is like a tea bag – only in hot water do you realize how strong she is.” Frankly, I wish this year had not tested me so thoroughly. In the spring, the most uncertain time I’ve encountered as an entrepreneur came alongside my promotion into the joint role of IT tech and cafeteria cook for my children during remote learning. Thankfully, the business thrived, but Wi-Fi and lunch were woefully inconsistent. Over the summer, I lost track of the weekdays and learned to live with a Zoom shirt nearby for when I was mistakenly still in “I hope to workout” clothes when a phone call became a video call. Fall has brought the loss of a treasured loved one and the dislocation of having my dear aunt, with whom I normally co-host Thanksgiving, hospitalized with COVID-19 on our big day. It’s been a year.

Fortunately, like you, I have survived 100% of my worst days. We have all realized our strength and resilience this year and learned so much in the process. We saw the ability for people to get organized and make things happen when faced with crisis. We were reminded of how special it is to have time with our families. We figured out that we don’t need face time to get great work done. We were reminded that we genuinely enjoy the people with whom we work, and that there’s something special about seeing them. And importantly, we determined what really matters to us, what our real priorities are.

As much as we want to run from the context in which we learned these lessons, it’s worth making a deliberate effort to take the good stuff forward. Let’s use those insights to hit the ground running in a hopeful way in January.

I’d love to know the good things you’ll carry with you into 2021. Reply to this email, and let’s chat.

Warmly,

Precious Williams Owodunni | President & Founder of Mountaintop Consulting

P.S. Many of our clients are asking us what kind of gifts they should give this unique year. Though we usually think of a gift as tangible, at its core, a gift is about acknowledgement. So even if you can’t do your normal gifting because you don’t have a personal address or it’s not in the budget, I urge you to send a note or make a call to let people know they matter to you.

This letter was originally published in Mountaintop Consulting’s monthly newsletter. You can read the full newsletter here.