Disclaimer: if you had a hard year and would be triggered by this post, please do not read. My intention is not to hurt you or make your situation harder. Please proceed with caution.

I know that most people clicked on this title so that they can find a reason to hate on this post, but here is the thing, I am tired of every email I get saying, “we can all agree that 2020 was a terrible year.”

I disagree.

Personally.

The reasons for why 2020 was terrible would be that many people died due to COVID-19, lots of people lost jobs, and overall, there was a lot of tension politically.

But here’s the thing.

All of these things are part of the human experience.

There will be many politically tense years, people will die, and the economy is never stable. So although the reason for the craziness of this year, COVID-19, was a surprise, each year we have surprises that can make any year terrible.

That being said, this post is about what I learned this year, and how although 2020 was not the year I planned for back in January, it turned out to be even better.

I know I am speaking from the point of privilege with not losing a close one due to Covid and continuing to grow my business, but this reflects my year specifically.

1. I got married

On January 25th, I got engaged to the love of my life. We started to plan a wedding for August 2nd, 2020, but with Covid, we had to make hard decisions. Kristina and I had always hoped for a big wedding with friends and family, but we saw that this would not be possible at this time.

We were forced to figure out what is most essential to our new life that we were about to embark on, and the massive wedding wasn’t a part of that vision. We ended up having a 13 person wedding on June 7th, in a public park here in Austin. We really just wanted to be married and live together.

So although we had to find an apartment without stepping foot into it and buy all of our furniture online, we just cared that we were together. The last 7 months have been pure bliss being together. I have my person forever, and this alone makes 2020 the best year ever.

2. I grew my business more than ever before

In January, after doing 1.5 years of freelancing on my own, I established Gattozzi Collective. This was supposed to be a full-service marketing agency, but quickly due to COVID, plans changed.

It was hard to pitch massive marketing overhauls to companies amidst a pandemic.

I learned I had to pivot and clarify my goals.

Had I not had to pivot, I think my business would not be in a good place because I was so broad in my offerings.

Now, I found clarity in who we are trying to reach, consumer brands, and how we help them, monthly content creation (photos and videos). Simplifying my business has made it easier to sell, and I am excited to see the growth in 2021.

3. Finding clarity in my faith

Faith in God is always a journey. You never “arrive.” So this journey is filled with inspiration and hard times. Each year I will always talk about my faith being a highlight because it’s the most exhilarating part of my life.

This year has been a challenge with church being online, some conflicts, and feeling isolated from community, but I have more clarity in my faith because of this.

I think we can fear being in a desert or fear being alone, but I find the minimalism of my lifestyle with fewer church events has allowed me to find what matters in my life truly. I am in a desert and crossroads with my faith, but this is exciting for me.

4. I spent a ton of money this year on education

No- I still haven’t gone to college.

I spent a ton of money on courses, books, and coaching.

For so long, I have relied on YouTube and free resources to learn my skills and build my career and business, but this year, I decided to invest in paid resources.

When you put money on a product or course, you have skin in the game, and that alone was worth the money because I was looking to grow from a course versus hoping I would get one good nugget of wisdom for free. I look to spend more money on developing myself as a person and entrepreneur in the upcoming year.

Look- there were moments when I was weeping and scared out of my mind in 2020. I was frustrated with the government or anxious about the election. I was sad I lost friends, or grew distant from others. There were times when I didn’t know if my business would hold up or if I had what it takes to keep going. 2020 wasn’t easy, but when was life easy?

If we look back in each year of our lives, we faced challenges, and we will continue to face them.

Challenges don’t make a year bad.

I choose to look at the good that comes from challenges and the growth that happens.

So yeah, 2020 was the best year ever for me personally, and I am proud to say that. Each year you reflect on, I hope that you choose the good to inspire you into the next year.

There are so many things we can’t control in life, like a pandemic, but the reaction to this year and the challenges is something we can control.

The greatest parts of this year came from learning how to pivot from the unexpected.

Hindsight makes it sound easy, but it wasn’t. At the same time, I wouldn’t want it any other way.

I look forward to 2021 where I want to launch new products, start new brands, write a book, create videos, travel, and enjoy this life that I have one moment at a time.

Cheers to 2021!