Introduction

2020 has been plagued with depressing events. If you follow basketball, the former commissioner of the NBA – David Stern – passed away. Additionally, the legendary Kobe Bryant and his daughter along with 7 other people on board died in a helicopter crash.

Outside of basketball, the coronavirus has swept across the world and has especially affected the United States, as most schools have moved to online classes, job unemployment has increased, and death counts have reached nearly 150,000 in the US.

Besides the negative impacts of the virus, the unjust murder of George Floyd has brought forth more attention to the Black Lives Matter and Social Justice movements.

These unfortunate string of events has, in my opinion, further divided our country. Quarantine VS Anti-Quarantine, Citizens VS Government, Black VS White, etc.

Positives

But despite all the negatives of 2020 that are so obvious to many, I have found the year 2020 as one of, if not the best, years of my life. It’s had a massively positive impact on the course of my life, and here is why:

1) Appreciation:

The death of Kobe Bryant, a seemingly immortal figure, opened my eyes to his greatness. I remember I did not like Kobe when I was younger because I heard he was a selfish player, as he was called a ballhog. But I really took my time to reflect on his years in the league. I watched countless interviews of him, video highlights, read his book “The Mamba Mentality“, and so on. What I found out was that I felt guilty that I had not respected him soon. His passion, drive, work ethic, and approach to the game and life is truly inspiring. I have made a promise to myself to NEVER COMPARE AND JUST APPRECIATE GREATNESS WHILE IT LASTS.

2) Recovery:

I injured my right knee pretty badly during the 2019 fall term. I ran into the metal basketball pole as I accelerated for a layup. Also during the 2020 spring term, I fell off my bike and landed on my outstretched right hand and injured my wrist. These two injuries handicapped me for a while, but I am not the most disciplined when it comes to NOT playing basketball. After getting crutches for my right knee from the school infirmary, I opted out of getting an MRI and started playing basketball again after two weeks. For my right hand, I decided not to get it checked out at all. I just played using my left hand and sometimes with my right, though I heard a slight crack when I flicked my wrist. Since quarantine, I have been forced to stay indoors and have not been able to play basketball. This was a blessing in disguise because my right wrist has fully recovered and my right knee has gotten better, though it still is bothering me as I write.

3) Sleep Schedule:

My sleep schedule has been out of wack for a long time. This past school year I slept around 2-3 pm on average. Since the quarantine, I have improved my sleep schedule. I now sleep before 12 am about 90% of the time and wake up consistently between 8 and 9 am without an alarm. The key was for me to stop using an alarm because I become reliant on it. Instead, I now developed a habit through months of repetition; and I’m willing to bet money that I will wake up between 8 and 9 am without an alarm.

4) Family:

As a single child, the most important thing for me is to develop and maintain a truely strong bond with my parents. I have been spending a lot of time with my mom and dad. Through this time together, I have strengthened my relationship with them and looking to continue having a mutually empowering impact on one another for many years to come.

5) Develop a Love for Learning:

It is quite ironic that I never really LOVED to learn even though I have been in school almost all my life. While on break from school, last summer and this summer, I have improved myself tenfold regarding my approach to life. I developed new hobbies that include reading, writing, thinking, and engaging in purposeful conversations. I realized that all along I’ve been going with the flow and I have since stopped doing that. School is no longer my place to learn. ANY TIME, ANY WHERE, WHATEVER I DO: I LEARN.

6) I Started a Blog! (and Self-Development)

If you asked me a year ago if I wanted to start a blog, it was an obvious no. I’m a student that has always gotten a B or C for anything related to Language Arts. I struggled writing one paragraph in 20-30 minutes. My teacher set up a parent-teacher conference with me and suggested I get a private tutor. I got one and still ended up with a 2 (out of 5) on my AP Literature and Composition exam. Point is, I hated reading and writing because I was terrible at it.

Ever since I started my journey of self-development, I immediate realized that this is what I needed all along. It has taken me from a questionable future to a bright future that I’m working towards. The reason I created this blog is mainly to help y’all, especially students or young adults, take steps towards finding your own purpose. I don’t want you to waste your prime years on randomness. Instead, I want you to know what you want and work towards it everyday so you can live a higher quality and happier life.

Conclusion

Emotions are contagious; and most of the time, people are quite negative. News stories usually draw attention to what is wrong in the world; social media postings prompt people to compare themselves to others; political issues and heavily sensitive and controversial topics cause increased tension and division.

But no matter the circumstances that are occurring in the world, it is SOOOOO important to stay positive. Let’s look for a win-win scenario, not a win-lose. Let’s not argue, let’s have a civil dialogue where we can agree on something. Don’t combat hate with hate; combat hate with love.

I just wanted to share my opinion on the year 2020 and illustrate how going against the grain can really lead to overwhelmingly great results in this instance. If you see that most people are not enjoying their 2020, that’s your chance to gain your edge by seeing what they can’t: what is great about 2020. If you want to stand out, you will have to be able to do something most people cannot do.

I hope this post has helped you find something to smile about! 🙂