Life Lessons Learned From 2021

One of my favorite types of blog posts to do is a "Life Lessons" post at the end of the calendar year, a tradition that started in 2017 and continued in 2018 & 2019. Ironically though, I never did do one for 2020, a year that had no shortage of life lessons learned. However, 2020 was a different year across the board (to say the least), so that is par for the course. With that in mind, I did want to bring back that tradition with Life Lessons Learned from 2021. Without further ado, here they are...

• Enjoy the ride: okay, so I may be ripping off a previous blog post that I wrote earlier in the year, so bear with me on this one. In the past, I've heard that mantra that it's not about the destination, but the journey. While that can be easy to write off as a cliché, I've started to understand the significance of that. This past January, as the Green Bay Packers postseason, I remember a beat writer for the Packers tweeting that no matter what the outcome of the postseason was, the 2020 team was an enjoyable one for him to cover and follow. Although the season did end in heartbreaking fashion, it was a fun season to watch. And after a spring and summer of uncertainty regarding a specific quarterback, it has been enjoyable to watch the Packers play again this fall. Instead of worrying about how the season may end or what the offseason may bring, I want to soak in these next few games. It's been a good one to follow.
  
  In a similar way, one of the highs of 2020 for me was seeing Baylor University, my alma mater, win the national championship in men's basketball and cheering on the Milwaukee Bucks, my favorite NBA team, to a championship a few months later. In both instances, it was a lot of fun to follow the teams along the way - both teams features players with great stories and some exciting games. The journey these teams took to the championship is what made the championship itself all the more enjoyable, too. 
  
  Like 2020, 2021 has thrown a good amount of curveballs. Through it all, I am finding myself wanting to make the most of each day and life's different seasons. I have a tendency to get too focused on the "destination" that I forget to enjoy the journey along the way. The journey to get there may not always be fun, but I don't want to look back on it with disdain, nor do I want to lament what I missed out on along the way. Life's destinations will come in due time. In the meantime, I want to enjoy the ride. 
  
  
• You Don't Have to Be Defined by Your Past: I have to hand it to Baylor and the Bucks - they managed to help me learn two life lessons this year. Going into this year, neither Baylor's men's basketball team nor the Milwaukee Bucks had much of a championship pedigree, so to speak. The Baylor men's basketball team had never won a national championship and had not made the Final Four since the 1950s. Baylor had some good teams in recent years, but fell short. Likewise, the Milwaukee Bucks only had 1 championship to their name -- and that was 50 years ago. When following the Bucks growing up, I was used to them finishing in the middle-of-the-pack in the Eastern Conference and not making it out of the first round. In more recent seasons, while the Bucks improved, the season still ended in disappointment. 
  
  Admittedly, I can be a bit pessimistic when watching sports, fearing the worst based on past results or games. I would let past results dictate my thoughts in regards to a future that had not played out yet. And well, in this instance, I was proven wrong - Baylor won its first national champsionship in mens' basketball while the Bucks won their first champsionship in 50 years.
  
  I have a tendency to be a bit hard on myself or beat myself up over past mistakes. A common theme I heard from friends this year was to give myself grace. It also occurred to me that past mistakes or regrets were just that - mistakes or regrets in the past. If I kept letting those mistakes impact me, then I would miss out on great opportunities or ways to grow. 
  
  As I write this, I'm reminded of 2 Corinthians 5:17, which reads "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come". Coming to Christ changes our lives and makes us a new creation. Through Jesus Christ's work on the Cross, our debt has been paid (a debt we could never repay) and our sins have been forgiven. Now, this doesn't meant that our sins are without consequences (past or present) -- it's the very reason that God sent Christ into the world, so that we could be reconciled to Him through Christ. However, this does mean that we aren't defined by our past sins. For example, Paul, a man who once ravaged and persecuted the church, came to Christ and became an apostle for Him. If Jesus Christ can take Paul, a man who described himself "as the foremost [of sinners]" (1 Timothy 1:15), and use him as an apostle for the early church, then I know that there's hope for each one of us in Christ. 
  
  
• Be Still and Know that He is God: For this one, I am referencing part of Psalm 46:10. It can be so easy for me to get caught up in the middle of life's busyness that I forget to take time to pause and reflect. At times, it truly felt as though there wasn't time for me to do that because I was jumping from one thing to the next, particularly as this holiday season approached. However, I have found that life doesn't just have to be this way. In fact, life is better when it is not lived out that way. Taking a few moments to pause, reflect, and turn to God in prayer can really make a difference. There is time over the course of the day to do that, such as in the morning after waking up, before starting work, lunchtime, after work, or in the evening before bed. It may look a little different each day (i.e. it may be done at different points in the day for different durations), but carving out that time to humbly come to God in prayer and rest in Him provides comfort and reassurance, especially in the midst of life's busyness. Sometimes there can be this idea that we always need to be "on" or active, and it truly has been learning process for me to understand that taking a step back (more on that later) to rest can be benficial. It starts with being still and know that He is God.
  
  
  
• Sometimes You Have to Take a Step Back to Realize How Far You've Come: To start, I want to provide context on this one. This past September, I went on a trip up to Eastern Washington and the Idaho Panhandle. There was one morning where I went on a hike to take in the sights and sounds of the Pacific Northwest. Along the way, I was processing a few thoughts in my mind as well, some of which ties in to Life Lesson #2. As I reflected on where I was a few years ago compared to where I am now, the thought "sometimes you have to take a step back to realize how far you've come" came to mind. This thought hit me hard -- figuratively and literally. When I took a step back and looked at where I was on the trail relative to where I started, it was a bit surprising; I didn't realize how far uphill the trail was. Walking the trail and keeping my eyes on what was ahead made it easy to forget how far I had come from where I had started. It was only when I took a step back to take it all in that I had that full perspective. 
  
  Similarly, when I took that approach to my own life, I realized that a lot had changed - not just over the past year, but over the past few years of being in Houston. There's so much that's different now than a few years ago, more than I could write in this blog post. Yet, until I had taken a moment to pause and do that, I didn't have the full picture. Having that perspective is also why I am able to write that you don't have to be defined by past mistakes. Taking that step back helped me realize that if my life is much different today compared to a few years ago, I shouldn't let mistakes from a few years continue to define me. It's funny how the most meaningful takeaways can come in the most unexpected of moments. While constantly looking back on the past is not a good idea, taking some time to reflect does have place. It certainly did on that morning hike in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. 

Well, 2021 has been quite the year. Although I haven't been too consistent with blog posts recently (speaking of New Years Resolutions...), it was nice to take some time and look back on the lessons learned this year. I am thankful for 2021 and the lessons learned and memories made along the way. Here's to a good year...and for many more to come. 

Happy New Year!

Idaho is beautiful