3 ideas that saved me from 2020

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Season's greetings from our team here at HospitalRecruiting.com to you! My name is Blake Conner. I'm the social media manager for this website, in charge of tracking all our publications.  For the sake of spending time with our families, we will be taking a break from publishing any new articles until the New Year. I would like to divulge one final retrospective of this year first, however.

I know how crazy this year has been, and in the face of one chapter closing as another unfolds, we ought to take this time to reflect on that which brought us to where we are.  Through quarantine and unemployment, toilet paper shortages and a polarizing election, seasonal depression and so on, still we remain a part of this ever-changing world. Though I as an author could never fully grasp your existing state of affairs, it is likely that this disruptive year has taken its toll on all of us in some form of adversity or another.

For me, March of 2020 remains one of the darkest periods of my entire life, for all at once my false sense of security was ripped violently from beneath me like a rug. My circumstances were more tragedy than purposeful malevolence, which may make them trivial to those who've experienced greater suffering than myself, but the fact remains; my investments plummeted, my side projects shriveled like raisins in the sun, I lost my job with no hope for another soon, and my closest friends and family all suffered major financial crises simultaneously. What had been a long-running and meticulously crafted routine of wellness suddenly turned to nothing. No job to work, no gym to exercise at, no friends to visit, and no reason to wake up in the morning. For a brief stint, I existed and nothing more.

For my own sanity, this was a mentality I could not inhabit for long. In only a month or so, I began working tirelessly to rise above my station once again and return to the status quo, or at the very least keep my wallowing to a minimum. Today, I'd like to share with you Three Key Ideas that helped me subdue the negative outlook that plagued me. Although I am not not coming at this from the perspective of a healthcare professional, these mental frameworks transcend any occupation and can therefore be applied in nearly any scenario.

What you most want to be found can be found where you least want to look

Most of our daily lives are spent tunnel-visioning our way through the day we have imagined for ourselves, oblivious to everything that doesn't immediately fit our self-described agenda. Although these mental blinders are extremely effective at keeping us on-task, they sweep neglected responsibility to the wayside. All around us, we hear the cries of unheeded obligations in the form of tasks we have yet to complete. Nowhere is this better exemplified than the space you inhabit. A momentary glance at your disorganized home will shatter any presumption of clarity you may have held as you begin to understand just how much there is left to do. And although a messy room is among the least of your worries in life, it is intrinsically a reflection of the idea that problems compound slowly and silently, until one day they hit you with the force of a freight train. Continually turning a blind eye to that which is important is a sure-fire way to be steamrolled. Perhaps all you needed was right in front of you all along, you just didn't want to see it.

Do not let what you are stop you from what you could be

It is so. It cannot be otherwise

Rooted in stoic philosophy is the idea of unwavering mental resolve, even in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. To best equip myself for the inevitable misfortune of life, I take action to immediately accept my current position as reality, regardless of the implications this brings with it. It may feel disadvantageous and difficult to swallow, but to best prepare for tribulation, you must not participate in self-deception. Some of you may know the serenity prayer as portrayed in western theology.

"God grant me serenity to accept the things I cannot change; Courage to change the things I can; And wisdom to know the difference"

You need not be spiritual to understand the underlying message portrayed here. Waste no time on self-condemnation, but rather evaluate your position from a reasonable standpoint to best orient yourself moving forward. Perhaps you feel bound by your past mistakes and tied to your shortcomings, but clinging to regret only impedes the future.

In the wake of all that we leave behind us, I hope you face what lies ahead with fortitude. Take this special time to meditate on that which is important so that upon your return to the world, you may be rejuvenated. Do not engage in willful ignorance or self-deception, but rather take what comes with courage. Happy Holidays everyone, and farewell to 2020!