Ashwani Singla, Astrum: 2020: A Year to Remember, Not Forget

Many of my friends and family talk about 2020 as a year to forget, and for good reason. Not only did we lose several family and friends to COVID19, but also did not get an opportunity to properly condole and console; we had to reset our lives to accommodate each other's extended work hours while coping with loss of income/jobs. The pandemic took its toll on many lives and the livelihoods of many.

I could go on about the physical and emotional upheaval caused by COVID19, instead I want to focus on what it taught us and how we emerged stronger and smarter from it and become better versions of ourselves. 

In 2020, we learnt to value of our health & well-being. COVID19 and lockdown increased our focus on keeping our minds and body fit. In fact, a new acronym was coined: MAMAL (Middle-Aged-Men-In-Lycra). Sounds facetious but points to a new reality of fitness focus of those who traditionally ignored their health at the altar of their career. Families chose healthier meal options; regular exercise became the norm and return-to-the-roots yoga became fashionable with the New India. This focus on health and well-being is priceless. 

In 2020, we learnt to do a lot more with a lot less. Some of it forced upon us as travel and hospitality options dried out and salary and/or job loss necessitated the need to ˜reduce, reuse and recycle'. We learnt the value to simple living and enjoying the little things that mattered more than material. Living a sustainable lifestyle is priceless.

In 2020, we learnt to be ready for the ˜just-in-case' scenarios. We learnt that none of us are insulated from a crisis in life or at work. CXOs struggled as revenues fell off the cliff, supply chain came to grinding halt and staff was locked down and they perhaps faced an unprecedented threat to their business and business model. The lessons learnt about leadership and compassion during a human crisis are priceless.

In 2020, many a homemaker and working professional grew to be an entrepreneur, spawning a variety of businesses run from their kitchens, bedrooms or balconies. This unleashing of the entrepreneurial spirit is priceless. 

We heard stories of the triumph of the human spirit in the face of unimaginable adversity and the will to prevail no matter what. That will to prevail is priceless.

My point is simple, our glass can be half-full or half-empty. The pandemic whilst extracting a tremendous cost has also afforded us a rare opportunity to truly pause and reflect upon what is most meaningful to us in life and at work. Let's not allow these reflections to be wasted as we emerge out of this crisis.

Therefore, the biggest opportunity going into 2021 would be to generate maximum returns the lessons the pandemic has taught us. They say, ˜public memory is short' or a ˜leopard never changes it spots'.

Can we break through our own stereotypes as we step into 2021?

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