2020 was a year of disappointments, canceled plans and loneliness. While the negative outcome of the COVID pandemic was definitely seen, I am choosing to see all the good outcomes of 2020 that we accomplished. I am intentionally focusing on the positive outcomes of a challenging situation.
20 Good outcomes of 2020
1. Family Bike Rides
While we sometimes took individual kids on bike rides, we never had all of our bikes in working order at the same time to be able to go on trails together. When the stay-at-home orders hit, we raced out to buy a few cheap bikes for our growing kids. We got all 6 of us on bikes that worked and with helmets. We spent the spring exploring trails near our home in the gorgeous weather. This was such a good outcome of 2020.
2. Partnerships for my Family Travel Blog
I started this blog as a way to share tips, destinations, and fun activities for family travel. My goal was to have travel experiences we wouldn’t normally afford. This year, I want to celebrate the partnerships that helped me accomplish this goal. Although the pandemic has been destructive to the travel industry and readership on my blog, as I look back on the year, I still had incredible experiences! Let’s celebrate the good outcomes of 2020!
I worked with several tourism boards, hotels, and travel attractions. This gave my family experiences and adventures we never could have afforded otherwise. We loved sharing these experiences with my readers.
Please take time to read about a few of our partnerships trips
- Oklahoma City
- Brighton ski Resort
- Mall of America
- Moab Hummer Adventure
- Hyatt Place Moab
- Frankenmuth, MI
- Frisco, TX
- Holden Arboretum
3.Read 50 Books
I had a goal of 40 books in 1 1/2 years, but with everything canceled, I had plenty of time to read and listen to a huge amount of books. Inspired by many book titles from Everyday Reading, I found so many great books. My favorite books in 2020 listed here.
Finding more time to read was a good outcome of 2020.
4. I Wrote 23 Blog Posts and Gained 2,500 Followers on IG
I’ve been blogging for 3 years and still, it is difficult to create content and do all the steps to publish a post. It takes a lot of dedication, self-motivation, and mustering up the motivation to publish posts. There are many steps to actually writing, getting photos, setting up the SEO, and sharing on social media. This is a great accomplishment and one I hope to double or triple next year!
5.Managed Virtual School with 3 Kids
I’m not going to pretend that I homeschooled, as our teachers provided all the learning activities for my kids. But I did create a schedule that held our kids accountable for their schoolwork and helped them move through their assignments mostly on their own. I got really lucky with motivated kids so my job wasn’t as difficult as many parents, but I still want to celebrate the challenge that this was.
6. Arrived On Time
I set a goal this year to be more on time. I tend to try to pack too much in and inevitably end up 5-10 minutes late to everything. This creates stess and anxiety for myself and my kids. I wanted to improve being on time.
While the pandemic took away many opportunities to practice this, I still want to report that I was on time this year SO much more consistently than I have been in the past. I plan to leave the house 30 minutes early than I would usually plan and that helps me to be on time. Planning ahead has always been a challenge for my ADD brain and this is a major win for me! I am so much less stressed with my kids trying to get somewhere when I know I will be on time.
7. Learned More Self-Compassion and Patience with Myself
My life coaches all teach me to have compassion and patience with y self and my own growth and progress. I use to think that hating myself would help me reach a higher standard, but I now believe that loving myself will get me further faster. So I’ve learned to silence some of the self-criticism in my head. And talk to myself as I would my best friend. Allowing for mistakes and being understanding of my flaws has helped me to not hyper-focus on the negative. The freedom that has come from loving myself more is a weight off my shoulders.
8. Met and Nurtured a Whole Family Friendship
It’s difficult to make new friends, but to have friends for all 6 of us is even better!
A new family moved into our church congregation with kids who exactly line up with our kids. We have found so much in common and love to have dinner, parties, swimming dates, and sports parties together. I have loved pouring into a friendship that benefits everyone in my family.
9. Service Scavenger Hunt
I organized a service scavenger where we did outdoor services for members of our community that could use a little more help. We caroled, raked leaves, and swept porches.
Our joy was full as we interacted (from a distance) with neighbors who smiled with gratitude. I always want to serve more around Christmas season and this was a perfect way to give of myself and my energy.
Even with the COVID precautions, we found a way to serve and have good outcomes in 2020
10. Helped Our Parents
I will fully admit, that our parents are still helping us more than we are helping them, but we were able to give back in small ways this year. When the shut-in happened I was at my parent’s house and we helped them paint their ceilings and walls upstairs. It was a huge project.
We also were able to drive to Utah at the end of the shut-down and help my in-laws move and get their home set up.
11. Refurnished the Living Room and Installed a Patio
Redecorating the main living room is so difficult for me. I am design-challenged and struggle to make decisions. But I realized that my decisions don’t have to be forever. This is our second time designing the room in the 6 years we’ve lived here.
We bought a couch, entertainment stand, TV, and a rug. We still need to complete the project with 2 chairs and curtains and maybe some end tables. But we love the look so much more! My husband installed can lighting which makes the space so much brighter. We love spending time in the space now.
12. Traveled to 11 National Parks and completed 52 Hikes
While world travel came to a screeching halt, we spent the time making plans to take advantage of our free national parks pass from Every kid in a park.
We loved all 5 parks in Utah, Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Glacier, and Rocky Mountain. In January, we went to Volcano NP in Hawaii, and then we went to Cuyahoga Valley NP in Ohio in the Fall. I loved hiking in all the different amazing environments. My kids didn’t love hiking, but they did learn to appreciate nature and being active.
13. Read the Book of Mormon as a Family
Last year, we read the New Testament together. This year we studied from the Book of Mormon. We discussed God’s word, the fight against sin, and the principles that lead us closer to Jesus Christ. While it wasn’t easy to read consistently, it was worth the struggle.
14. Ran 460+ miles and Began Lifting Weights Consistently
Keeping my sanity through the shut down included daily runs in the sunshine. I also swam, biked, started weight lifting and loved doing a high fitness class. I didn’t reach my goal of doing a triathlon or pull-up, but I kept my health and fitness up.
15. Painted Baseboards and installed New Carpet in the Upstairs
It was a lot of work to get the house ready to install carpet (not to mention saving up for it!). The baseboards all have a fresh bright coat of paint and our light, cool, plush carpet is awesome! Spending time updating our home and loving our space are good outcomes of 2020.
16. Taught Piano Lessons for 9 Months
I never wanted to teach my own kids piano, but with the shut down it was necessary. Its been painful and anxiety-inducing, but its a priority to me for my kids to learn the language of music and develop that skill. I’m proud that I’ve been flexible with our schedule, but keep moving them forward in their books. Its time for a professional teacher to refine and develop them further. But I am happy with the effort I’ve given to keep them on track.
17. Learned to Cut Hair
My husband always cuts his own hair and my son’s hair. But I have never dared to touch my girl’s hair. With so many people cutting hair in the shut-in, I finally felt comfortable enough to give it a try. It went really well and I think I will cut their hair more often.
18.Created Parodies with Jackson – Learned Reels on IG
Video always feel challenging for me to create. But my son is into creating YouTube movies and parodies. He pushed me to help him and create my own videos. I’ve only made a couple of reels, but I started and that’s a plus. Having time to create was a good outcome of 2020.
19. Executed Quarantine Party Days
With so many good ideas circulating on social media, I tried lots of fun ideas to keep our time at home interesting and fun. We had Disney day with food and virtual rides. We went camping in the backyard and had many game nights and movie nights. On May the 4th we had Star Wars food. And a Quarantine Birthday pushed me to get creative in the way we celebrated.
20 Earned Income
I’m a stay-at-home mom, which means I don’t contribute to our financial income much. However, this year I actually earned quite a bit (not counting all the ways I help us save money). We earned by renting our home on Airbnb. I am the landlord for two of our properties which helps us keep more from that income. I also ref lacrosse, substitute teach at my kids school, provide childcare, and make a small amount from blogging.
Tell me your 2020 Successes!
While some of these were small and some were great, I am proud of the way I grew and progressed this year. Taking time to focus on all the good outcomes of 2020 will end on a positive note. I am confident this practice will help you too! Make a quick list of 10-20 successes to celebrate from 2020!
Leave me a comment! What was great about your 2020?
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