2020: A Year in Values

I still can't believe this year. It has been so dystopic it seems to be a bad dream after watching an horror movie. Yet, everything really has taken place and I, or should I say, everyone of us, has experienced pandemic's effects in multiple ways. However, 2020, tough as it has been, has led me to rethink my life and clarify which elements of myself need to be polished to live a healthier life.

Honesty

Honesty is one of the personal traits that this year has helped me to improve the most. Whether it's for myself or for others, both profiles of honesty have been strengthened so far in the pandemic. Probably having so much free time has helped me to evaluate myself better. I mean, today I can give more complete reasons to answer the question: "who am I?" Therefore, I can also answer questions like "where am I going?" and "how am I going to get there?", trying at best to significantly diminish past mistakes.

There is nothing like being honest with yourself. The moment you are honest about your own virtues and vices, you can shed unnecessary weight and make your passage on Earth lighter and more agile. There is no way in which, since you decide to face yourself with sincerity, there is room for falsifications and procrastinations, because you precisely get the motivation of knowing who you are in essential terms: abilities, preferences and attitudes.

Moreover, by treating yourself honestly you also make clear the paths you want to take to and the equipment you must have to make it happen.

This year I have applied a lot of the above mentioned. In the process of self-discovery, I have put aside supposed "necessary habits", "responsibilities" and "friendships". And, with no doubt, this process has made me feel better and more complete as a human being because I have stopped wasting my energies and time on unnecessary things and people, to make room for the authentic in me.

Versatility

Versatility has been another important thing for me in this 2020. Isn't life a constant change? We should always look for ways to adapt to this by being as versatile as possible. In fact, thanks to quarantine, I have had to adapt to a new lifestyle. At first, it was difficult because I felt like a good-for-nothing wasting my time; but little by little I managed to have a versatile routine to do useful things.

The pinnacle of this 2020 adaptability has been Hive. Thank you, Hive, I love you. I don't know what would have become of me without you.

Leaving poor romanticism aside, Hive came into my life as a result of all the effort I put into generating things for myself, and @gabrielamenesesg (thank youuu). I think that from so much searching for how to generate some money in this pandemic, something finally came that fit my abilities and possibilities alike. Adapting is necessary.

And, in the end, I think that's what a lot of our lives are about, being versatile or flexible enough to achieve what we want. There are never easy paths to walk through, but they certainly bring a lot of experience to our progress and fulfillment as human beings.

Resistence

In the last few weeks, the following idea has been going around in my head: life is a marathon. Sometimes I think that no matter how many other qualities one has, if one is not resilient, then one won't be able to endure and overcome the infinite obstacles that life will put in front of you. Whatever direction we need to take, it is of higher importance to be in good physical and mental condition to respond adequately.

In such hard times, I have wanted to surrender, but then I say: I am alive and healthy, why not to take advantage of the present? That is when I get up and continue in the marathon. I strive to reach a new kilometer because I know that there will be new things to learn and to do, and this is already enough to keep on trying. From past personal experiences, I believe that success comes, above all, when I persist until I have it in my hands; when I try once more, even when there seems to be no hope; when I visualize productive situations where there is apparently nothing to take advantage of. For me, all this is synonymous with resistance.

Being Grateful

Finally, I have to say that none of the above qualities have been as reinforced in me as being grateful. In a time when many people have little or nothing, I feel extremely grateful to be able to have something and even to share it with the people who need it most.

In the violent course of our lives, we forget many important things. Among them, being grateful for every day, every person, every opportunity that comes our way. This should not continue to happen. Being grateful for who we are, for family, friends, and being grateful to God, should be the virtue that brings other ones together in our walk through life.