2020 was a challenging year for many of us with a worldwide pandemic throwing a spanner in the works! We saw the introduction of social distancing, lockdowns, working from home became the norm, we stayed in touch with Zoom meetings and parents took on the role of teacher with many children learning from home.  The year made many of us look at life a little differently and prioritise what is important to us. Overseas holidays turned into domestic holiday road trips where families discovered what their local areas and state has to offer.

Now as we begin 2021, we thought it would be a good opportunity to reflect on the year that was 2020, what it may have taught us and what we may hope to improve this year. We asked a few staff members to share with us their own 2020 reflections as well as what they may do differently for 2021. We hope this gives you some inspiration for the year to come.

What our staff said:

Jenny:

The value of social connections, most importantly my family and friends. It opened my eyes to the concept of working from home, which I would never had have thought of before. 

Pennie:

How lucky we are to be Australian and live in Australia. We witnessed our governments make sound, timely decisions and implement strong economic support packages. We experienced relative low rates of COVID-19 and compared to other countries the impact was low. It also made me appreciate and enjoy the simplicity and pleasure of a slower life.

Melissa:

I learnt patience. My previous job in travel disappeared overnight which gave me the push I needed to change industries something I had wanted to do for a while.

Katherine:

So, what have I learned and what will I do differently? I've already started to do a lot of things differently. I never believe in waiting for a new year. Every day is a gift and an opportunity.

I lost three loved ones in the past 2 months, so this year has given me great perspective on life. I have learned to be more present. Slow down. Not waste time doing things I don't love or truly and deeply believe in. Health and fitness, I’ve realised is so incredibly important. And finally, the big and very small decisions that you make everyday shape you and your destination.

Sam:

2020 has taught us that we are more resilient than perhaps we believed we were. We learned we could work from home for months, we could stay connected without physical contact, we could take care of each other and of our Members under trying circumstances. I think this year has also taught us to be grateful for all those things we had perhaps taken for granted. So, from my perspective, I enter the new year more determined to appreciate my workplace, my colleagues and the opportunity to serve Members. 2020 has reminded me why I love working - I do it to make a difference for others and so I can be with the ones I love!

With these in mind, a new year brings new opportunities and changes, but we can take advantage of these bigger and better than before with a more informed lens as our team members have explained.

We wish you all the best in 2021!