I’ve been thinking back to December 31st 2019, just before the start of the San Silvestre Vallecana in Madrid.
I couldn’t complain – on the contrary! Twenty nineteen was a great year for me, professionally and personally.
My niece was born and I felt love like I never thought I would.
I was happy with Per Purr and our awesome team.
And, everyone around me was healthy.
There were only ten kilometers left to go. Right before the race, I filmed a video with a very dear friend: “we can do anything!”, we said. The joy of that race that was about to start was contagious.
This year so full of sparkle that we were all waiting for, this year so full of hope. So beautiful to pronounce! This year with its round sounds in which everything would be even better.
But as we know, all 7.684 billion of us who inhabit planet earth, 2020 has not been so great.
A pandemic. Something we never thought we'd experience because it sounds like a throwback from centuries past. Something that shouldn't happen anymore because we have technology, right?
PANDEMIC doesn't sound too modern, does it?
The hardest part was trying to keep going when every day seemed like an endless battle, whether it was a battle to stay alive or just to make it to the end of each month. A battle to understand what politicians around the world are playing at. Lockdown: the most feared word of all time.
I, personally, stopped reading news during my lowest moments. It did me a lot of good, but once or twice I found myself poring over the newspapers.
And the more I thought about it all, the worse everything else became. Until one day I realized – after an unfortunate and upsetting incident in my personal life – that THE IMPORTANT STUFF IS WHAT MATTERS. Nothing else.
I realized that I had to prioritize.
EVERYTHING.
EVERYONE.
People, work, problems, and upsets.
I understood that life was (and still is) teaching me some tough lessons.
But now, compared to other times in my life, I’m on top of things. I'm handling it. And I intend to keep doing so. No, I WILL keep doing so, like a total pro! Because the problem isn’t what life does with us, it’s what we do with what life gave us.
I’m going to repeat the 10 things I told you in 2020 but from a new perspective, in the hope of starting 2021, not virus-free (because that will still be around), but with a different vibe:
Trying to follow these ‘10 commandments’ – even though the global situation isn’t exactly the best right now – will help give you the strength to carry on, no matter what!