I saw a quote on Instagram of someone saying they had experienced the first seven-day free trial of 2021 and wanted to “unsubscribe” to their life.

It was a joke of course but after my chuckle died down, I realised how immense the factor of ‘change’ has played a role in our lives.

As Tony Robbins recently said, “We aren’t just facing a new year. We are facing a whole new world”.

The effects of the pandemic have broken many existing structures that we took for granted from our favourite businesses to how we travel, work, live, or line-up for a simple cup of coffee.

The world had changed so rapidly that it seemed to have cast a shadow on the usual festive cheer around Christmas and the New Year.

I was in deep reflection myself at the start of the year, but instead of being sucked into the whirlpool of global politics or adding to any more negativity already out there, I decided to sit down and meditate. I felt I almost needed to come into some stillness so that I could stay grounded.

I also wanted to focus on all the positives of last year because I felt 2020 forced so many of us to face our fear and expand in ways that might not have been possible if it weren’t for Covid 19 wreaking havoc everywhere it spread to.

So, I am choosing to “subscribe’ to life and I want to personally and humbly share some invaluable realisations that came up for me, as a summary of 2020.

So here goes my 2020 in a snapshot. It was a really challenging year for me but it pushed me to grow beyond my comfort zone.

For starters, my yoga, meditation and sound healing space at OhanaJo, that had served so many souls on a daily basis across two floors, suddenly became an empty building.

I started worrying about my small team and how to pay the rent or stay afloat with zero cash flow, without knowing what tomorrow might bring.

It was pretty scary but there was no time to wallow. We needed to pivot.

What was the light at the end of the tunnel? Well, we always wanted to go digital but there was never enough urgency. Now we needed to go digital immediately.

Our first website revamp took us six to eight months, for instance. We now had to build an online platform from scratch.

Incredibly, it took us only three weeks. I would never have thought this timeline was even possible, and our small team had to meet remotely, including my husband who was stuck for more than three months in the UK. This manic time period showed me what we were capable of.

So here are other key takeaways for me in 2020. Some from my working life and some were personal lessons I learned along the way:

• In the face of uncertainty, learn the art of surrender. It will help you breathe into the ‘unknown’ and learn to let go of outcomes you cannot control.
• Set time aside for a digital detox now and then, so that you can disconnect from your usual distractions, especially if you feel the world is getting to you.

You will realise what a gift this is, to allow your mind to completely rest without receiving constant updates and stimulation. You can first start with small windows of time, and work your way to bigger breaks away from your phone.

• Remember the importance of being flexible. Learn how to flow with the river, rather than against it. It will help you rapidly adapt to change.

As Bruce Lee once said, “Notice that the stiffest tree is most easily cracked, while the bamboo or willow survives by bending with the wind.”

• A solution to any of your problems could be right under your nose but allow yourself to take some risks, or release old ways of thinking if the ‘old’ has not worked. Dare to be different. Go unconventional. Think out of the box! You might be surprised what new ideas might come to you.
• Don’t give your power away by letting others define you. No one walks in your shoes. You could waste a lot of energy trying to make people understand you. If you’re feeling weighed down by judgment, send love to those who are doing the judging so that you can come into a place of peace and acceptance from within.
• When someone triggers you, the fastest way to become a victim in life, is to blame them. Real growth and transformation come from looking inward rather than outward.
• Life can be unpredictable and people might suddenly show up in your life to challenge or hurt you. But if you look at them as your ‘lesson’ rather than your ‘enemy’, you will realise that certain events aren’t happening ‘to you’ but ‘for you’.

Some of our greatest growth comes from our darkest moments forcing us to rise above and conquer our fears, pushing us beyond our comfort zones.

• Lastly, always be grateful. Focus on what you have rather than what you don’t have. You’ll realise how blessed you are.

Wishing you all a beautiful year ahead. As always, it’s hard to predict what the future holds. Tomorrow is never guaranteed which is why the moment of “now” is all we ever have.

So, stay present and stay strong. For all the things we cannot control, surrender and let go but always be grateful. Keep your vibrations high and your immunity up by being as positive as you can be.

Jojo Struys is the founder of ‘OHANAJO awake’, an online conscious platform to help people with their stress, anxiety and sleep. Enjoy daily meditations, yoga, sound baths and wisdom on the go in less than 15 mins per day. Please visit www.ohanajo.com for a free trial.