My 2020 Review
Difficult times show us the real face of life and the real face of people. Self-care is a priority, not a privilege.
Looking back at 2020- Personally, it has been a year of a rollercoaster of emotions; joy, sadness, uncertainties, love, pain, griefs. On the global stage, it has been a year of pandemic, deaths, rumours of wars, political failures, and gimmicks. 2020 has been the longest year ever, it felt it was more than 12 months plus 600 years.
There were tons of event that shook the world in 2020- starting from President Trump killing Iranian commander Gen. Qasem Soleimani in January which sparked up rumours of wars to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle quitting the royal family to the global exponential spread of the coronavirus Covid19 that led to many countries initiating a total lockdown crippling education, businesses, and the economy. The world health organization had to declare it a PANDEMIC. Never has that happened in 100 years.
And then, the legendary Los Angeles basketball player was killed along with his daughter, Gianna, and seven others when their helicopter crashed in Calabasas, Calif., on Jan. 26. It was a sad moment in the world. Also, there was the impeachment of President Trump which he was luckily acquitted later in the year. How can I forget the black lives matter protest, it became a global situation that made everyone around the world to fight against police brutality and against racism. A lot of people died!
Chadwick Boseman, the Black Panther died; Millions of people died due to Covid19, there was a huge explosion at Beirut port in Lebanon killing over 150 people and injuring hundreds of others and Legendary footballer, Maradona died :(. In Nigeria, we were not left out from the chaotic events of 2020, apart from the almost regular insecurities in the country, we have had deaths of popular influential people such as Sen. Ajimobi, former governor of Oyo State, Abba Kyari-Chief of Staff to President Buhari, Dan Foster- Ace Nigerian Radio personality, and several others I personally do not know.
One major and unforgettable event in Nigeria that happened is the 20th October 2020 #LekkiMassacre; up until that day, there were peaceful protests in different pockets of cities in Nigeria against police brutality. These protests went on for days gathering local and international media attention. The news of the protests went viral all over social media to the extent @Twitter created an icon for the hashtag #EndSARS- We are the “Soro soke” generation, meaning the Speak Out generation. It was massive and gave a glimpse of hope for a better Nigeria until the Nigerian government struck using the military against peaceful protesters. It became bloody and we still dey on the matter.
Sadly, hundreds of millions of people lost their jobs in 2020. Assuming a 48-hour working week, the reduction in work hours in the second quarter of 2020 was equivalent to the loss of 495 million full-time jobs, which added to the equivalent of 160 million full-time jobs lost in the first quarter.
So, if you are reading this, I will say a big CONGRATULATIONS! You have survived 2020. I am grateful and you should also be. I have taken the time to sit down reflect and review my year 2020, both my professional and personal life. Thinking about the impact I have been able to make, the mistakes, the lessons, the learning points and how to improve/continue to push myself in 2021.
Career Highlights
· Started to handle the planning, forecasting, ordering and the general management of International Brands of the company. Making sure the stock deficit is less than 5% and forecast accuracy of above 60%. I am proud to have made impressive growth in that aspect and it’s so fulfilling.
· Built a solid working relationship with my bosses and colleagues which has helped in my professional ethics and communications. Hence, given me the confidence to share my business ideas and solutions.
· Due to the lockdown, I was working from home for about 4 months. During this period, I had several meetings online with the help of zoom and Microsoft teams. I learnt that work can be done from anywhere in the world once you have a working laptop and internet. However, we cannot take away the sense of urgency of working directly with people. I missed seeing people.
· I was able to make stocks available even in chaotic times as 2020. It is something to celebrate, my KPI.
· I resumed office after 4 months of lockdown. It was refreshing.
· I wore face masks all day…It is compulsory.
· I did two online courses that are super relevant to my career.
· I did the Lean six sigma white belt certification
Personal Highlights
· I beat covid19! This is actually very good news.
· Found the love of my life. **winks** E choke!
· Became a millionaire (in naira oo)- Spiritually
· Started an impressive project- Trusting God for completion.
· Did not attend church physically for most of the year- first time ever!
· I gave the most money out helping people this year than ever in my life — -I feel so glad giving; I hope to give more out in 2021.
· I signed into Netflix and subscribed for the first time.
· I joined Thriller, Tiktok, Zoom.
· I made successful business investment this year — Thanks to Ore!
· I clocked 30.
· I think my spiritual life was afloat — — I hope to get stronger in 2021.
· I celebrated 1year on my job and wrote about it. Link here
· Helped quite a few people achieve their 2020 goals.
. I miss my family and the LOML
· Organized and executed an online symposium helping about 30 young people expand their capacities.
· My scheduled flight to Nigeria was cancelled due to global lockdown.
· My 2020 goals changed to just one- To keep safe and alive!
· I bought a PS4 during the lockdown and a TV (you know why…winks)
· I did more exercise; I did not believe I could have a big tummy until 2020.
· I added weight from 65kg to 75kg, that is a massive achievement for me.
· I read quite a few books in 2020 as my usual practice.
· I thought I would be married but…
Lessons from 2020
- I actually realized that God takes care of His own in spite of the chaos around.
- To be intentional about life & to learn to relax & be taken care of.
- Your goals can change any freaking time just to survive.
- Be Flexible
- The world is so connected more than we think.
- Family is super important…If you don’t have a good one, try to build one!
- Worshipping God is underrated.
- The World is hurting, don’t add to its hurt.
- The basic things are not just basic- they are essential.
- Taking a break is productive.
If you got to this point, I want to say THANK YOU for being part of my 2020. Please drop a clap or a comment or both. Share what 2020 taught you with me; I would love to hear from you. Catch up with my thoughts and bants on Twitter @IFM4real.
Stay Blessed and have a blissful New Year 2021.
The biggest shock of 2020 just came after I published this article- Prof ‘Femi Odekunle died due to Covid19. I am so broken, my closest uncle died!
He died 29th December 2020. The day I will never forget! :(
