Don’t Be Hard On Yourself If Your 2020 Goals Failed

Every single goal that I set for myself in 2020 has failed miserably. I haven’t met the career goals I wanted, or the health goals, or the romance goals, or the socialization goals. I didn’t even accomplish the most basic goals I thought were going to be a given, no work required. 2020 has been my least productive year in a long time — and I’m not alone in feeling that way.

Don’t be hard on yourself if your 2020 goals failed because this year was unlike any other in your personal history. You’ve never dealt with this much fear and uncertainty in the past. Simply making it through this year in one piece is an accomplishment all on its own. You should be proud of yourself for making it this far, for surviving so much pain and hatred and loss.

Don’t be hard on yourself if your 2020 goals failed because the uber-successful people bragging about their year online are the exceptions. Most people didn’t reach their dreams this year. They were too focused on making it through the day. They didn’t have any extra energy to spend on making their wildest dreams come true. They needed to worry about survival before anything else.

Don’t be hard on yourself if your 2020 goals failed because you’re not the only one who feels like this year was a complete waste. A letdown. A ripoff. Every single person you know is in the same boat as you. No one was able to accomplish exactly what they wanted this year. Everyone had to sacrifice things, whether it was their vacation or wedding or graduation or prom. We’re all ending this year feeling disappointed about one thing or another.

Don’t be hard on yourself if your 2020 goals failed because your expectations didn’t account for what this year would really entail. You had no idea what you were about to face. You had no idea this year would be completely different than any you’ve experienced in the past. When you wrote down your goals for 2020, you were thinking positive, but this year turned out overwhelmingly negative.

Don’t be hard on yourself if your 2020 goals failed because this was the year for going easy on yourself. This was the year for resting whenever you found a moment of peace. Life was already hectic enough without putting something else on your plate and working toward your biggest goals. You might feel like you could’ve done more, especially when you spent so much time at home, but you did enough. You did all that your soul could handle.

Don’t be hard on yourself if your 2020 goals failed because you should be proud you’re here right now. You should be proud you made it this far. You should be proud that there’s a fresh new year in front of you where anything is possible. Whatever goals you wish you would’ve accomplished this year, you can save for next year. You still have plenty of time to work toward your dreams. You can always try again.

Don’t be hard on yourself if your 2020 goals failed because, honestly, everyone else’s did too.