This morning I was talking to one of our food buyers in the office and he was reflecting on this year saying, “We all need a gold star this past year.” Another quoted Michael Scott from the tv show the Office,
“Sometimes I’ll start a sentence, and I don’t even know where it’s going. I just hope I find it along the way.”
It’s crazy that that convoluted sentence sums up what the year 2020 has meant to the food and restaurant industry. 2020 has been a sentence we haven’t been sure where it’s going, we’re all just going along for the ride.
Usually, I look forward to the beginning of a new year and 2021 feels like there is more expectation of turning the page on 2020. As we reflect on this year, where we are presently, I want to encourage you to take a moment to reflect on what you accomplished this year. This can be personally and professionally. I think back to where we were as a company in March, April, and May. We lived in the craziness of panic buying, to the slower than slow of the stay at home order. What ups and downs have you dealt with this past year? What problems have you figured out that you are glad you don’t have to figure out again? How have you grown as a business? How have you grown professionally? As a business owner, leader in your organization it is your job to inspire hope at your job. You are a hope dealer. And hope really feels in short supply these days. How can we inspire hope when fear clouds our view and vision of the future?
Goal setting can give us and our team something to aspire to, even when uncertainty surrounds us. We all know and recognize we are in an “unprecedented time”. As we look to 2021, here are 3 goals we can set today that will help us have a hopeful outlook in 2021 despite our circumstances:
#1
Look back and reflect on the past 9 months of this covid season. What lessons can extract and apply to the future? This season seems to be staying with us a little longer than we would all like, but how can you be proactive in taking as much control of your own destiny as you can?
#2
Start making steps forward on your 2021 goals. Recognize 2020 goals didn’t quite turn out the way you planned, but it’s time to take steps forward towards a new day, new year, new goals and a new you!
#3
Take rest and a vacation. This year many have deferred their vacations because of many valid excuses: when it calms down, I’ll take a vacation; or we’re paralyzed by the weight of the pandemic to escape even for a day or two. However, taking time away from work can give you perspective. Bringing fresh eyes can bring new solutions to old problems. Take time to read a book, play with your kids, change your scenery(even a road trip can do wonders).