Take stock
phrase

To think carefully about a situation or event and form an opinion about it, so that you can decide what to do – Cambridge dictionary

Pausing to think about all the aspects of a situation or event before deciding what to do next- Collins dictionary

It is the end of the year 2020 and needless to say, 2020 has been a rough year for most of us.

This year brought about a lot of unique challenges. Many we have never had to deal with as a generation.
I joke with my friends and say we put so much pressure on year 2020, with the whole new decade and vision 2020 talks, and it just bucked under the pressure. lol

And so, taking stock of the year 2020 was not something that initially appealed to me. Like many other people, I was just like, 2020 just needs to be over. I mean, what’s the point of reflecting on such a depressing year??

But as the year started to draw to an end, the phrase “Take stock” kept coming to me over and over again.

And so, here we are.

And looking at the definition of taking stock, I realize that the spirit that kept bringing that word to me was on point. Despite, or better still, especially because 2020 has been a “bad boy”, it is important to take stock of how it went in order to fully prepare for 2021.

Even when businesses and organizations have bad years, they still take stock in order to know what worked, which products sold well and which products didn’t, and what strategy will make the next year a better one.

And that explains what taking stock means to me.

It means thinking and carefully reflecting on 2020

Thinking about the things that worked well for me, and the things that didn’t.

Thinking about the highs of 2020 as well as the lows.

Thinking about the different blessings of 2020, as well as the challenges I faced.

It means reflecting on the things, people, places and situations that brought me joy, and the ones that drained my energy.

It means reflecting on the goals I set at the beginning of the year, and seeing how far I have come, and what has changed.

It means looking back on the things I have learned, the things I have unlearned, and things I have to relearn.

Taking stock helps you realize the things you could have done better in 2020 thus making you come up with a better strategy for 2021.

And I believe with the unique challenges 2020 brought, this makes it an even better year to Take Stock.

So I challenge you to find time today or tomorrow to take stock of the year. Do an end of the year review session. And like me, maybe you will find that you have more things to be grateful about than you thought. Or maybe you will find that there are specific areas you need to work on in this coming year.

Whatever the case, Take time to pause, think, and form an opinion on how 2020 went before deciding what to do in 2021.

I came up with a personalized template to guide you in reflecting on this past year.

You can download it HERE

And just before we end the year, as I am taking stock, I want to express my sincere appreciation to all of you.

All of you that read my posts, that engaged with my posts, that liked, shared and commented on these posts.

I am really grateful for you.

You made my 2020 ??