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Happy New Year! After the first year of COVID, I felt the new year could not get here soon enough! Enduring the devastation of a global pandemic, political and social injustice, and the downright small mindedness displayed by people during 2020, I was ready to kick that year to the curb!
I spent New Year’s Eve at home, thinking about the events of the past year. There have been many hardships, but also some blessings. Our country has been in crisis unlike any other in most of our lifetimes. Yet, I’ve also seen a move toward gratitude and a larger portion of society striving for justice and balance. Is it a silver lining? An opportunity within the crisis?
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Crisis and Opportunity Quotes and Meaning
The following quote has been attributed to Alfred Einstein:
“In the midst of every crisis, lies great opportunity.”
President John F. Kennedy told a similar story when campaigning for office in 1959 – 1960:
“The Chinese use two brush strokes to write the word ‘crisis.’ One brush stroke stands for danger; the other for opportunity. In a crisis, be aware of the danger–but recognize the opportunity.”
As a social worker, I’ve attended many personal development workshops that presented the idea that within a crisis, there is also an opportunity. This may make a good sound bite, but it appears to be a simplification or mistaken translation from the Chinese written language.
In reality, when there is a crisis, we are not thinking about potential opportunities. Rather, we are thinking about how to survive! The Chinese character making up the second part of the word “crisis” means something closer to “change point” or “pivot” – when there is danger, we must watch out and be ready to pivot in order to survive.
How Crisis and Opportunity Have Played Out Here
2020 was a tough year, with one crisis after another. Is there opportunity in the midst of a crisis? Possibly, but not always in the way you might imagine. I experienced a few surprises.
Making Money From Home
Since mid-March, I have been working from home for both my social work job and my speech therapy side job. I am grateful to be able to continue working and earning an income. Especially when I know so many others have lost their jobs. My heart goes out to those who lost a job or had their income reduced.
Oddly, the crisis that kept me at home presented an opportunity to make more money. I do speech therapy on Saturdays, and normally would be driving from house to house to see my clients. However, due to the COVID-19 shutdown, all therapy is done online. Since I don’t have to spend time driving, I have been able to serve even more children on Saturdays.
The benefits of earning more money allowed me to:
- support local restaurants by ordering take-out
- make donations to charitable organizations
- contribute money to political causes I care about
- support struggling artists by purchasing artwork online
- donate to the Navajo & Hopi COVID-19 Relief Fund
In the past, I did not talk about our charitable giving. It somehow seemed like bragging. However, I have learned that letting others know when you make a donation actually encourages more people to give. Please join us with donations to the Navajo & Hopi COVID-19 Relief Fund or also to Friends In Sonoma Helping (FISH), if you can. Thank you!
Saving Money
It was also a surprise to discover we saved money in some areas. We definitely spent more on nutritious food and supplements to help us stay healthy, but much less in other areas.
For example, we have not spent money on entertainment or events away from home. I have not been driving for work, so we a saved money on gas and car insurance. Normally I pay the car insurance every six months to get a discount, so we’ve been getting rebates each month.
The benefits of saving more money allowed me to:
- fully fund tax deferred retirement accounts
- save extra money for retirement in a taxable brokerage account
- grow our cash savings at the bank, which we’ll use as a buffer in retirement
Stuck At Home
Nothing could be worse than getting a severe case of COVID or even dying from it. Except maybe watching it happen to a loved one. I know people who have been hospitalized or who have died from COVID, but no one in my family has had it, fortunately.
The shutdowns due to the pandemic have been hard on people, though. Many businesses, restaurants, movie theaters and museums closed or were off limits to the public. In some parts of the country people handled the restrictions gracefully, but in other parts, not so well.
At one point, even our local county parks were closed to the public. We had to come up with other things to do while stuck at home. Surprisingly, it wasn’t that difficult. We read books, joined friends and family on video calls, exercised with YouTube videos, and lost ourselves researching things on the internet.
Although not a vegetarian, I embarked on a more plant-based keto diet & lost 30 pounds. A few pounds came back, but not quite the COVID fifteen, thankfully! My husband, on the other hand, decided to try making homemade sourdough bread.
In addition, we ordered some mushroom kits and grew our own culinary mushrooms! That was fun, but probably cheaper to just buy the shiitake, trumpet & button mushrooms from the grocery store.
We enjoyed daily walks along the wooded path in our neighborhood (with a mask). Finally, our local parks opened back up. It was great to go hiking again, even with social distancing and masks.
Blogging
When I wasn’t working, I also continued to blog about catching up retirement savings, even after a late start. I’m really grateful to have started this blog, as it is a creative outlet for me. I love the engagement with readers and it is inspiring when others share how they caught up retirement savings, too.
A surprising perk is that I’ve even made a little money blogging! It’s not much, but every little bit helps me to catch-up retirement savings. Because I decided to start a blog as a hobby, I gained new skills. This past year I also had the opportunity to talk about catching up retirement savings after a late start on three different podcasts.
Here’s one of them:
My Final Thoughts on Crisis and Opportunity
Take your pick, there were many crises in 2020. I believe in looking at the glass as half full instead of half empty. The civil and political unrest of the past year sparked a desire in many to learn more about racism and to become more politically active. The pandemic has given us a greater appreciation for our frontline healthcare workers and other essential workers.
The global pandemic isn’t over yet, but a vaccine is on the way. Communities have grown closer, as those of use who can afford to support small businesses and order take-out from local restaurants do so. The inequities that were always present in our country have been highlighted by the pandemic and there will be a renewed effort to make things right. Important government offices will soon have new leadership.
On an individual level, we’ve had the chance to focus more on simple pleasures, like hiking, gardening, and baking bread. New ways were found to stay connected with family and friends, such as through online Zoom meetings. Quite the learning curve for some of us!
For those who have been able to continue working, or who have been able to make extra money from a hobby, it was possible to continue the effort to catch up retirement savings.
New opportunities will continue to arise as the new year approaches and beyond. I am hopeful that we will all be able to successfully pivot toward a brighter future.
I’ve been thinking a lot about the silver linings of the past year too. So glad you and your family have been as lucky as ours so far in staying employed and healthy, and got to try so many new things, and give back to the community! Happy New Year.
Definitely feel lucky! Crossing my fingers that both our families stay healthy. Thanks so much for stopping by, Moving and Baking! Take care of yourself & your family.
Great post! I love that you pointed out opportunity.
How great that you’re able to keep working during the pandemic. And spend more time w your kids because of less driving! It’s good to hear some positives, thanks.
Thanks, Sue! Glad you enjoyed the positive focus. I try to stay as positive as I can. It helps a bit in a year like 2020!
Although this past year has been difficult, i think it’s so important to find the good within it all. life will always have its moments and it’s up to us to have a better perspective. this year was a year of growth for myself and i continue to do so in 2021. Great post!
You’re right, Mind Beauty Simplicity. We will always face challenges and it is important to approach them with a growth mindset. Thanks for stopping by!
Loved this! I think it’s so important to look at the positives from 2020 and I’m so glad you’re still okay and healthy x
Thank you, Della! I appreciate your kind thoughts. I trust you are well, also. Take care & stay safe!
It’s quite refreshing to hear about some silver linings this year has brought 🙂
I’m happy to try to spread a little positivity, Ellie! Thanks for reading & commenting!
I adore this so much! You have such a bright outlook. Thank you for using some of your extra money to contribute to local businesses and organizations! 2021 will be an amazing year for you!
I heard of this saying for every $1 spent on something with a good cause behind it, you get $4 back haha. Hopefully, this karma goes back to you xo
http://www.lynnmumbingmejia.com
Haha, Lynn, I had never heard that before! I appreciate your kind comments, though! You’ve given me a smile. : )
This is a wonderful post, I enjoyed it so much. Very inspiring. I really needed it!! Thank you for sharing this ❤️
Glad you enjoyed the post, Yaya! Thanks for stopping by!
What a great post. I am clinging to the hope that 2021 is better than 2020 too! Wishing you all the best in this new year!
Thank you, Charity! 2021 has got to be better! There’s still a lot of work to do, but we’re moving into the light. Wishing you the best, as well!
The pandemic has lead to me having more money than I normally would and it’s also allowed me to stop vaping. However, it’s been terrible on my waistline, so swings and roundabouts I guess
I’m so glad to hear about your positives, Unwanted Life! Quitting vaping is a big win. Weight loss is a constant struggle for me, too. I’m following a low-carb diet, which seems to help me.
That is more than a silver lining to this dark cloud.
You took advantage of the great reset to make some positive changes that will improve your life going forward.
Interesting comment about saving. We heard that savings rates have really gone up even though people’s incomes are more uncertain.
Thank you for your kind comments, Retirestyle Travel! Yes, when income becomes uncertain, people tend to be more conservative with spending. Plus, we couldn’t shop at physical stores during the lockdown! I think the uncertainty and massive job losses of 2020 will have inspired people to build up their emergency funds, too.
I believe there are a lot of silver linings to what we all went through last year and that there is so much hope for what the future holds! I hope you have a happy and healthy new year! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Thanks, Melissa! I’m hopeful that things will change for the better, too. It will be worth it to do the work. Happy New Year to you, too!
Great goals!!! I, too, have hope for 2021. It’s a fresh start and it’s always good to start it off with a positive outlook to manifest the best!
My biggest goal is catching up retirement savings after a late start, and sharing the message that it’s not too late! Thanks for stopping by, Meredith!
It is great that you have optimism for 2021. We have to make progress, otherwise, the economy will not be so hot. It is great that you were able to make money while being at home and supported various causes! Keep it up!
Nancy ✨ mdrnminimalists.com
Thanks so much, Nancy! I appreciate the encouragement!
I absolutely love the quote about the brush strokes in the word crisis Kathy! I have been out of work for just passed a year now with my injury/the pandemic, but I feel like I’ve definitely seized on some opportunities. I saved a lot of money from usual as well, and combined with the stimuluses my and temporary disability payments I have been able to build up a good emergency fund. I’ve also been learning and nurturing alternate income streams so I’m ready to make a career change and supplement my income when I’m able to go back into the workforce. Thanks so much for this post, and happy new year!
That is such great news, Clarissa! I’m so happy for you! I’m glad you shared a bit about your plans. Often, we think we are stuck, but we can take advantage of opportunities that come our way or that we make happen! Slowly transitioning to a new career is a great idea – it doesn’t have to happen all at once.
I have much hope for the new year too!
Glad to hear it, Lisa! Thank you for reading & commenting!
I love this post, especially the quotes. I’ve managed to get through the year by focussing on the positives (very similar to yours). Let’s hope 2021 perks up a bit 💜
Thank you, Fiona! Yes, I think it helps to focus on the positive.
I loved reading this post and seeing the ways you rose above the obstacles that presented themselves to you! It is amazing how having time gives us the opportunity to try new things, learn to love them, and keep moving forward.
Enjoy your sourdough bread; we love our slices nicely buttered. 🙂
Aw, thank you so much! I have to admit, Jaya, that I did not eat the sourdough bread. My husband enjoyed his sourdough bread with butter and jam!
Love this post. I try to see the positive in everything and I feel so blessed to have conceived my baby in 2020. Giving birth in 2021 will be an experience I guess haha
Congratulations, Katie! That is wonderful news & I’m so happy for you!
Really nice post, I was able to learn a lot of things last year and hopefully out them to practice this year. Despite the crisis of 2020 I had some really good opportunities which I’m grateful for. I hope 2021 gets to be better.
Thank you, Anita! I’m glad you benefited from some good opportunities in 2020. Yes, I’m with you in hoping 2021 will be better.
What a great post! It sounds like you’ve had a pretty good year despite everything and it is great that you were able to work with even more children than usual during this time. Life is a bit of a journey with peaks and valleys, I think the craziest thing about this year is that they both seemed to come and go so fast.
2020 was a year of losses, but I tried to make the best of it. I was fortunate to be able to work and continue serving my clients, although that looked a little different due to the pandemic! Yes, there are always going to be ups & downs in life. Hopefully we’re on the upswing in 2021. Thank you, Kat!
Hurrah for hope and positivity!! I know the vaccine will get us out of this but mindset will keep us out of it.
How was the Keto?
And this is true for many of us… Love it…
“On an individual level, we’ve had the chance to focus more on simple pleasures, like hiking, gardening, and baking bread. New ways were found to stay connected with family and friends, such as through online Zoom meetings. Quite the learning curve for some of us!
Thanks for your kind words, Apocalypse Daddy! Mindset is everything! I think having a growth mindset has helped me learn new ways to make my diet healthier, along with all the other new skills I’ve had to learn during this pivotal time. Thanks for reading and commenting!
Loving the fact that you have a kind heart of giving and helping to others. Also like the positive mindset through it all may you keep up with the good work stay safe and healthy in all.
Aw, thank you, Aphila! I appreciate your kind comments!
Great post Kathy! I agree many of us have been dealing with a lot the past year. However some of the downtime has been a welcome break for bloggers like you and I to catch up on some writing too.
Thank you, Andrea Joy! I wish I could say I used the downtime more productively, haha. If I was able to publish blog posts 2 or 3 times a week, that would be amazing!
There were definitely so many ups to 2020. An absolute year of silver linings amongst the chaos !
Agreed, Nons! It’s so important to look for the helpers in a crisis. Then start building on the positives. Thanks for reading & commenting!