11 Things From 2020 I’m Grateful For

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It’s feeling a lot like groundhog day here in London, we’re in another national lockdown and the chat is still all about covid and now the vaccine. Everyone I speak to is not just over it, but over being over it. It feels very samey at the moment, even the usual New Year, New You crap that is usually spouted at this time of year seems a bit flat.
I think we all need a bit of gratitude to boost our well-being and encourage a more positive outlook so to kick things off here are 11 things from 2020 I’m grateful for.
  1. The Thinking Environment Foundation course run online by Jane Adshead-Grant. Usually I loose concentration fast during online things but Jane crafted something that held my attention for 2 days and gave me so many perfect moments of how to be a thinking environment that I was able to take it into my work immediately. I highly recommend learning and working with Jane.
  2. Our favourite restaurant started doing a cook at home box, initially it took a few months to get a slot but we were not at all disappointed with Blacklock at Home. They thought of everything, right through to the play list, the only thing missing were the staff we have come to be friends with.
  3. Crosstown a Kiwi owned donut company that pivoted to delivery across London and now nationwide. They make the most amazing sourdough donuts an even have a vegan selection that is equally good.
  4. Dana James-Edwards‘ free webinars to educate us about microaggressions in response to the Black Lives Matter movement. She has taken a subject that can be very difficult to talk about and created a safe, informative and fun forum to help people learn how to identify microaggressions and speak up. She is also been a driving force behind helping me launch my free webinar – 3 simple coaching techniques you can use right now.
  5. Rina Goldenberg Lynch from Voice at The Table who took me on as an associate after a cold email and is training me to be a Diversity and Inclusion Consultant.
  6. Kim Arnold‘s course on Lead Generation Made Simple. Thanks to Kim I have a lead generation plan and her weekly newsletters keep me on track. We all need a bit of Kim in our lives, her newsletters are packed with marketing, communication and email writing tips, sign up!
  7. Liz Ford’s 3-2-1: a reflective writing technique in 101 Coaching Supervision Techniques, Approaches, Enquires and Experiments edited by my supervisor Michelle Lucas. This technique is the number one reason I did so much reflection last year and not just because I kept inserting into workshops I was running and doing my own reflection alongside the participants ?.
  8. Les Mills on Demand offering all the Les Mills exercise classes online. I started doing the free ones which brought back my love of BodyCombat, great when you’re angry or frustrated and surprisingly I’ve developed a love for Sh’Bam, the dance classes. When I don’t want to exercise I do a Sh’Bam class and always feel great by the end.
  9. I am actually grateful for Zoom and everything like it, it’s the only reason I can do all my work from home and it was magical having family and friends together to celebrate my husbands birthday even if I am over quizzes.
  10. My animatronic Baby Grogu (Yoda) that my husband got me for Christmas – this little guy fills me with all the warm fuzzies.
  11. My husband who is always there with a cuddle, whether to celebrate or comfort, and his unwavering belief in me? .
I’d love to hear what you are grateful for from 2020.
And in case you’re wondering, this is Baby Grogu/Yoda. They can use the force and even does a cute snore when they sleep ?
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This letter was inspired by an interview with David Desteno on Hidden Brain.
Photo of woman on the beach by Brooke Cagle on Unsplash
Photo of Baby Grogu/Yoda by Jonathan Cooper on Unsplash
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