This last year, 2020, was supposed to be a great year, for my blog, for travelling and for my career in general as a content writer. It started off pretty sweet, with two trips to Malta, with less than one month in between. We liked it so much there that we decided we want to move to Malta.
It was also the year I missed a flight for the first time, and it happened before any flights were cancelled because of an event we cannot name (which starts with a C).
It didn’t go as planned, but in the end, it turned out to be great. 2020 was a year of personal growth and unexpected achievements.
2020 was about self-reflection
As you may already know, I strive to inspire personal growth with every new piece of content I create. It is the foundation on which I built my travel blog, and I firmly believe we all need to be educated about the importance of personal growth from a young age. While most education systems fail to do so, it is vital to take matters into our own hands. And, I believe, it is crucial to do so as early as possible, to secure the life you want to live.
I believe in personal growth through travelling, as it has worked so well for me. Ițm not talking about luxury 1-week holidays to the latest opened resort on an island, but more of the kind of travel that forces you to get immersed into a different culture, and then changes you forever. That kind of travelling isn’t the kind you plan for. Is the kind that happens to you, if you’re lucky, and if you let it happen. But fear not, because it will be all worth it in the end and you too will see it as a priceless experience, which it is.
When talking about using travel as a tool for personal growth, as I normally do, 2020 wasn’t the year to do so. When April started, I felt lost and hopeless. My blog plummeted in traffic, and there wasn’t much hope for the content I challenged myself to create (I challenged myself to post daily on IG). But then I realised that the Earth isn’t going to stop revolving around the Sun just because of us. Life didn’t stop, and we didn’t stop living it.
2020 brought a new way of living
While it was hard to understand the new rules of life and to adapt, life didn’t stop. The sooner you realise it, the better it is for you. Changes are part of life, not an exception of life. We evolved so far because of our ability to adapt, and we will not stop here, just because social media, and the media, in general, is trying to make us react one way or the other.
Frankly, I don’t follow the news anymore. I realised it was a pointless action to do, which only wasted my time and my energy on things I couldn’t change.
With all its hardships and unexpected development, 2020 was the perfect year for personal introspection. That’s my favourite things to do when I’m not travelling or working on my content. Understanding the power I have over my entire existence was a moment which marked a new era for my life. I realise it’s not about others, about what they think, or what they do. None of that ever made me happy, and that will never change.
Focusing on the negative brings only bad vibes and takes away my productivity. Realising there’s a good side in all of this and focusing on analysing and planning for the future, changed everything.
And that’s what I hope to inspire you to think about.
Here’s some top picks blog I wrote in 2020 about personal development.
- Why is personal development so important?
- The secret to personal development
- How the Covid-19 pandemic quarantine and self-isolation changed our lives?
- The Ultimate Travel Bucket list: Places to see before you die
- 51 Things You Have to Try at Least Once in Your Lifetime
Achievements in 2020
2020 wasn’t the year I’ve expected it to be, in regard to travel plans. As a matter of fact, I just called Lufthansa to rebook a cancelled flight from this summer. Luckily, they issued a great policy for their customers and allowed me to rebook my flight for no extra cost. But that’s not the case with other airlines. I wrote a blog about how to deal with cancelled flights and how to travel with minimal risk during a pandemic.
But other than cancelled flights and travel bans, 2020 came with lots of great moments that led to self-improvement and improving existing abilities.
For me, it will always be the year I became a freelancer. The year I finally stepped into the shoes of the person I always wanted to be and realised just how much I value my time and my skills. Selling myself short is my life’s story but 2020 was the year that changed for me.
I see this point in time as a milestone and even the cornerstone of my career to come.
International travel was banned for the most part of 2020, and that only pushed me even more to discover some hidden places in my home country, Romania. Summer is my favourite season, and that’s when I went on a few road trips and hikes. The unplanned 5-day road trip was my favourite. I genuinely like to not plan my trips and have the liberty to decide each day where I want to go and what I want to do.
As for the hiking, it was the first time to take my dog on a hike and discovered he loves hiking. Luckily, Romania has plenty of beautiful mountains with hiking trails.
Here’re a few top pics blog I wrote in 2020 about Romania.
- Easy hiking near Bucharest: Scropoasa Lake
- From Bucharest to the Danube Valley: All you need to know to make the best of it
- Oravita to Anina train ride: The oldest railway in SE Europe
- The Best Day Trips From Bucharest, Romania
- Do You Know What Is Romania Best Known For?
Goals for 2021
I aproach most of my challenges the same way I plan for my travels. I don’t plan too much and like to leave room for spontaneous decisions. And that’s what I’ll do in 2021.
I don’t have specific plans of what I’ll do and where I’ll travel to, but I do know that I want to take some new courses to perfect my skills, read some books, and work harder on my blogs. Yes, I do have more than one.
Slowly, I will start to develop a plan for everything I want to achieve, and I know I have to work a lot. After a year of personal growth and inner reflection, I am ready to take all that knowledge and put it out there. I’m ready to shine, and I hope you will too.
What good thing did 2020 bring to your life?
Tell me what you think!