Thinking of the year 2021 coming to a close, a sigh of relief is almost always correlated. The year was filled with adversity, anger, frustration, panic, and many synonymous feelings. It’s almost impossible to think of this year without hearing the words Corona, Trump, Biden, or Vaccine. The divide tied to the year 2021 will go down as one of the “worst” years in American history. People are tired, worn down and beat up, anxious, depressed. There seems to be a common feeling of exhaustion and unease amongst our society daily. The constant arguments over social media about political opinions and controversial topics have only driven us further from each other.
Aside from the anguish and suffering, we can look at just a couple of positive advancements and new beginnings that have come out of 2021. An estimated 371,504 babies were brought into this beautiful world this year (unicef.org). Oxygen was made on planet Mars and a human brain was connected via Bluetooth to a computer. Looking at it in that perspective, there were great moments of growth and prosperity. The biggest lesson that 2021 taught me is that relationships matter most. I had the opportunity to speak with a family member of mine that is 74 years old. She is the head of nursing at a New Jersey hospital, a mother and grandmother of 3, and has earned two masters degrees throughout her life. I asked her “what was the most fulfilling thing you’ve ever done?”, out of everything she’d done in her life so far, she answered with “becoming a mother”. She then went on the explain to me how all tangible achievements are just that, achievements. But at the end of the day, when the clock strikes zero, your relationships will matter the most. Achievement is often confused with fulfillment. It’s a common misconception that happiness and fulfillment come with more achievement (money, better job, new spouse). The grass is not greener on the other side, it is greener where you water it. What I learned from speaking with her and looking back on 2021 is that relationships will always be the head of my agenda from now on.
It’s safe to say that everyone has struggled with 2021 in their own ways. Most people have had it so bad this year that it’s become nearly impossible to see the lesson in it: start worrying about what is actually important. Through the hardships, I view it as a year of prosperity and growth. In 2022, I challenge you to make an emphasis on growing relationships. A relationship with someone you care about is not volatile. As the pandemic as taught us, just about everything else is so it’s become that much more important to become a better brother, sister, friend, etc.
Going into 2022 I challenge whoever reads this to look back on the lesson of 2021 and turn it into a positive. Thinking positively heading into the new year will create a swing of momentum and get your ball rolling for an amazing year. We wish you nothing but Health and Wealth heading into 2022 as we close the chapter on the year 2021. Happy New Year!
