December 2020
I know I don’t really need to say this, but what a year 2020 has been! As we reached the end of 2019 I imagine most of us were looking forward to 2020 with high hopes. Asking ourselves what would be achieved, acquired and accessed in our personal and work lives? I’m sure that the vast majority of us however, have had to seriously re-think and adapt our approach to the year that will never be forgotten. In reality, December 2020 is now a time where a lot of people are simply grateful for what they have in terms of work, family, friends and our material possessions and 2021’s plans will be cautious at best. But we’re nearly there; 2020 is almost history!
This year, I would say that it is more important than ever before to try to take the time to switch off over the holiday period. There is the well known phrase from technology support, that the help desk and customer service representatives say, “switch it off and on again and it should be OK”. Ask yourself this though, does it actually work? How many times have you tried this when your phone, laptop, Skybox or smart TV has inexplicably stopped responding in anyway and failed to respond to the tirade of abuse that you have unfairly hurled at it? To be clear, I’m talking about shouting at the devices not the technical support guys!
Everybody is feeling jaded after this annus horribilis and a reset over the holiday will ensure that we are all ready to take on 2021. And based on recent experience, we must be prepared for anything. As we switch off and take some much-needed time, I would encourage everybody to take a moment to be in the moment. Enjoy what you have and what surrounds you. So often, even when we are not working, we motor through life and miss so much of what is going on around us. Enjoy the stillness and the small things.
There is a fascinating story about virtuoso violinist Joshua Bell. The Washington Post carried out an experiment and arranged for Bell to play in the Metro station in Washington DC. He played for 45 minutes on his £3million violin, two nights after he sold out a theatre in Boston where people had payed £80 per ticket. Less than a handful of people even paused to watch or listen to the greatest violinist of his generation playing some of the greatest music ever written. This is a timely reminder to question – What are you possibly missing in life that is there for you to appreciate and enjoy? It’s so often the little things that are actually the big things.
So, enjoy giving yourself a break this Christmas and try to switch off!