Yesterday, I received a video from a best friend of mine about the Christmas celebration for Bit Stew’s acquisition exactly four years ago. With such an unexpected great throwback, I couldn’t help reflecting on what happened around me in 2020.
January: Excited about the new year. Tried skiing for the first time. My son wrote his first letter to my parents with all his wishes and plans while waiting for them to come to Canada in the spring.
February: Followed the news about coronavirus every day. Sent an email to the CEO sharing my concerns and suggestions about coronavirus and safety at work, and appreciated the thoughtful and responsible reply and actions.
March: Began to work from home as the announcement of the world pandemic.
April: Received a Salesforce Marketing Cloud certification. Built an indoor badminton pole to practice with my son to eliminate going outside.
May: My parents had to cancel their trip to Canada due to COVID-19. My son received the certificate with the First Class Honour for his piano exam. Online grocery shopping became a new normal in my family, and my wife quickly mastered it.
June: Completed the annual performance review, feeling proud of what the MarTech team had achieved. Enjoyed neighborhood walking, biking, and rollerblading after dinner on every warm day.
July: Built an arbor for the newly planted grapevine but couldn’t find Comet NEOWISE. My son could occasionally beat his mom on badminton, but never on rope jumping.
August: Kept my promise to my son of going camping – but on the balcony. Curious about where the new leadership would take us with the restructuring.
September: Successfully negotiated and signed a big contract for the company, and began the home-schooling for my son. My wife returned to the office to work.
October: Deeply touched by the long letter that my son wrote to my dad as his 71-year birthday present.
November: Started to develop the plan with the CRM team for the next Fiscal year, and made great progress on a few key projects at work. Entered the second month of 30-minute daily exercise by following Tiktok videos.
December: Put up the Christmas lights, adding positive spirit and hope towards the end of the year. Look forward to the holiday break and am ready for 2021.
There are many things I learned in 2020. But if I had to pick a single one to describe all my lessons, it would be Responsible. Learn to be a responsible person, a responsible employee, a responsible co-worker, a responsible team player, a responsible leader, a responsible father, a responsible husband, a responsible son, and a responsible citizen, as a lifetime goal, on any regular day and especially during the tough times.