Get Back on the Starting Block and Win at 2020

Photo credited to Lawrie Phipps https://pixabay.com/images/id-3416304/

I was reading an analogy of 2020 today as a year that was full of promise that seemed to get off to a false start.

Anne McNaughton’s said “Imagine Usain Bolt, the fastest sprinter in the world, lined up and hyper focused. The starter’s gun goes off and they bolt out of the starting blocks but then an alarm goes off – it is a false start and the runners, one by one, realising this at different lengths down the track stop, turn around and no doubt say a few choice words. A lot of mental preparation had to go into getting off to the best possible start and that has all been destroyed. There would not be many happy chappies in that line up”.

This is true, and I can’t count the times my partner has said “2020 isn’t at all how I imagined”, I suspect few could have imagined it this way. However, it has its silver lining; it has given many of us – and the planet – much needed breathing space.

Tomos Robert’s four minute video The Great Realisation, published this week, sums this up more beautifully than anything else I have read or seen to date. It is read as if written in the future, a father narrating a story to his children that explains why they say hindsight is 2020, well worth a watch.  

To pick up on the theme, this has certainly been an opportunity for me to get clarity on many things I would not have otherwise been able to see. With an end to lockdown in sight here in Aotearoa (New Zealand), my thoughts are turning to concrete actions that were not centre stage before we went into lockdown. It is a real chance for a do-over.

One of the things that has become crystal clear, having been forced into home schooling, is why my kids are normally so resistant going to school. Other than the big first day of school, which brought with it a sense of coming-of-age excitement – neither of my kids have ever relished going to school.

I can now see they haven’t grasped some of the basics and – as the curriculum advances – they are feeling more out of depth. It is hard for me to relate to this as I had no problem learning in school but my partner, who has ADHD and we suspect is dyslexic, spent most of his school years completely unengaged in class.

I do remember watching those in my own class at school who struggled and, even at that young age, could see the classroom environment wasn’t serving them. The last thing I want is my kids to spend the majority of their days in flight or fight mode from being forced to learn in a way that doesn’t suit their brain. So, as we start turning our heads towards life beyond lockdown, I am actively seeking screening and exploring alternatives for them.

Just as I have reflected on the children’s schooling, my partner has also had time to reflect on his work-life balance. For the first time since starting his business a few years ago, due to the lockdown, he returned a zero revenue balance last month. Things have truly gone back to the starting blocks in many ways, and allowed for a reset around expectations and workload.

While I highly recommend listening to Tomos Robert’s The Great Realisation video, there is another short video I want to share that might make you smile and lighten your heart. It was made by a family in Akoroa, here in New Zealand, and really captures the spirit of the family lockdown opportunity in a fun way with the Family Lockdown Boogie.
 
So while 2020 might not have got off to the start we were expecting, it may just have given us exactly what was needed: a chance for a do-over. What have you learned from this lockdown? Do you need more time for reflection? Or is it time to make your way back to the starting block and win at 2020 and beyond?
 
If you enjoyed reading this, you may enjoy Is This the Opportunity of a Lifetime?, Are You Overlooking the Obvious Opportunities in Your Life? and  Be at Ease With the World Around You. To be the first to receive these posts, you can also opt to subscribe to my blog.