Are you ready to leave 2020 behind and look forward to a better, brighter new year?

You could grab an Afio Viejo (Old Year) doll, light it on fire at midnight and watch all the bad parts of last year burn away. It’s a tradition in Central and South America.

Maybe cook tioshikoshi (year-crossing) soba noodle soup. In Japan, it’s served on New Year’s Eve. The special noodles are long and thin. They can easily be cut symbolizing a clean break with the past year.

Or even eat 12 grapes at midnight. A tradition originating in Spain and practiced from Mexico to Cuba. Each grape represents good luck for one month. But each grape must be eaten in the first 12 seconds of the new year.

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Still, to successfully put 2020 behind you will take more than relying on superstitions. Let’s look at how we can put 2020 in the rearview mirror as we move into a post-pandemic reality and focus on a great new year.

First, let’s recognize that 2020 was one of the most epic episodes in human history. There was a 55% increase in mental health issues, 38% of people skipped or delayed doctor visits, alcohol consumption increased by 14%. And the most significant number of all – in 2020 there were over 300,000 lives lost to COVID-19.

2021 will absolutely be better than last year because it can’t be worse. Our approach to the new year cannot be based on last year. We need to realize our potential, not revert to the past.

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Our focus must shift from problems, disappointments and loss. In the new year we can’t let events and circumstances control us. We have to change the way we view them. A positive outlook is the way to a great 2021.

The start of a new year is always an opportunity. It is a fresh beginning, a new chapter, another chance to get it right.

Where to start? First, accept the challenge and move forward. Choose to dream again.

With too much negativity we can’t dream big. Security and opportunity are strangers. We need to respond in a positive manner to people, situations and circumstances. Take action against the fear.

In 2020 we found ourselves in a situation we didn’t anticipate and things happened that we weren’t ready for, so we had a setback. A huge setback.

Survival mode is where almost everyone is right now. In the midst the coronavirus pandemic, our first initial reaction was to simply survive. And you did. But you can’t stay there. You may think you need to stay in this season but it is fatal for your comeback.

Yes, 2020 was an incredibly challenging year. And you can get too comfortable dwelling on how devastating it was, how unfair the situation is and how hard your life has become.

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Your comeback begins when you exit survival mode. As long as you just survive, there is no progress, no growth, no future. You can never thrive if you only try to survive.

You can overcome this setback. It won’t happen overnight but it will happen this year, when you step out of survival mode and into action.

You can decide to dream again. You can’t allow your dreams to falter or go away. No matter what has happened don’t permit your setback to define you anymore. Become determined to move forward into your dream.

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You can do it. No one achieves a goal without some challenges along the way. There is no reason to quit or give up on what you’ve resolved to do.

Here’s what you need to do now. Ask yourself, what is it that you want more than anything else? To make your dream a reality, the discipline must match the desire. It is not about what has happened. It is about what is next for you. Take direct, specific action to make your dream a reality.

The coronavirus pandemic put your life on hold. But your dreams can’t die in the new year, instead they must be reborn.

Remember, setbacks don’t control your life; you control your life. You decide to dream again. Instead of allowing your dreams to falter or even die, it’s time to resurrect them. This present setback does not define you or your future -- you can dream anew.

The question for you in the new year is, "What is next? Not, "What has happened?"

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What does a comeback look like for you? Is it just to return to some state of normal or does it involve something more? Out of this disaster there may be a new day, a new beginning, a new you.

I know you can do it.

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