We asked people around the world to tell us, in 1 sentence, what changed for them in 2020. Here’s what 124 people said:
Perspective on what it means to be blessed.
Akshay Mijar, Bangalore
I befriended my mind.
Akash Deep Sharma, Bangalore
2020 helped me get closer to the hidden ME.
Manita Desai, Bangalore
Even freedom is not free, life is uncertain and I learned the most difficult art of humility!
Amrita Lahiri Bhattacharya, Hyderabad
I realized that the art of surviving in a year like 2020 is to stay SIMPLE & SMALL yet THINK BIG.
Dilini Wijesinghe, Gampaha
Life is not all rainbows and unicorns as there’s always uncertainty, the most stressful, yet most inevitable thing in life and we need to learn to accept that.
Priyanka Giri, Bangalore
I’ve become a more conscious consumer, stopping to ask myself how a product is made and how necessary it is for me before buying it.
Nikshita Niranjan, Bangalore
I realised I hate socializing.
Shreeya, Bangalore
It dawned upon me that the best exploration is exploring one’s own self.
Sneha N Shastri, Bangalore
There will always be better people around you, but what’s important is that you do your best and stay happy.
Rishika Kashyap, Bangalore
The perception of taking things for granted, The things we need most in our life.
Kanhaiya Shah, Delhi
I think I realised my priorities and realised what to do with my life
Adarshika, Bangalore
I realised that on nights when everything’s falling apart, the phone beeps your best friend’s name, and how, sometimes, the faint glow of a cellphone in the dark, is all it takes to light up a world.
Aishwarya Roy, Kolkata
2020 is a testament to prove that just one Google Meet call, just one dish you cooked right, just one game of cards with family and just one moment of camaraderie is enough to buoy you through the tyrannies this year had to offer.
Neona Jangda, Bangalore
2020 aided to discover the poet in me!
Koyel Dasgupta, Kolkata
I learnt to be more introspective.
Kshaema Susan Mathew, London
Lost my way but gained new perspective
Suraj Nedungadi, Mumbai
I changed as a person. Realised there’s no need of validation from people.
Anaga, Bangalore
2020 has made me realize the value of this gift called life and the dreams that hope unfolds.
Amanda B, Shillong
2020 has made me realize the value of this gift called life and the dreams that Hope unfolds.
Monica, Ho Chi Minh City
Nothing is indispensable except the life you are blessed with, respect it!
Reema Vasisht Jasra, Ghaziabad
2020 truly made me realise experientially if I am at peace with myself, I am peaceful in the way I am with everything and everyone in the world and vice-versa!
Ina Anand, New Delhi
I could finally be more consistent with my workouts and deadlift 100kg.
Deepti, Sydney
2020 changed the way I want to live my life, my priorities and Taught be how to be more thankful for what I have.
Suruchi Sabharwal, New Delhi
Nothing changed, as CHANGE is the only constant. So all good, all fine with Lord’s grace keep believing keep praying.
Kavita Narwani Shroff, India
My life changed from aesthetic to pathetic.
Rachita
The perspective of the term ‘normal’ changed whilst my tolerance and adaptability levels grew manifold during the year.
Swetha Narayanan, Chennai
It brought me closer to my family.
Papia Ghosh, Kolkata
What we measure does not matter; what matters cannot be measured.
Vineet Sethi, Bangalore
2020 broke me mentally at the start of the year but its also taught me how to heal myself and get things straight.
Sibi Karthik, Sathyamangalam
I have become more grateful to God for the roof over my head and the food on my plate.
Radhika Ghosh, Kolkata
This year taught me to never take things for granted.
Renu Thapa, New Delhi
How I perceive friendships and the relation of time and space with emotional stability.
Avidha Raha, Kolkata
I’d been a happy person in my mid-twenties who loved travel, exploring, spreading the joy and sympathising for others but, the last few months made me an empathetic person with a better perspective, more like a window had opened that helped me see people and understand what they feel, more like into their soul.
Gloria, Thrissur
I learned to appreciate myself and learnt how important my family is to me.
Beas Jana, Kolkata
From being an overthinking pessimist to being a hopeful positive thinker, my entire life changed in 2020! And I believe thoughts do that the best.
Aditi Khera, Jalandhar
2020 paused everything that made me realize how important is to take care of ourselves in the processing of growing.
Jyoti, Nohar
Negative approach into positive approach with patience.
Arunima Srivastava, New Delhi
The spiritual hierarchy is my pathway to God. The closer I draw to the spiritual hierarchy, the closer I draw to God. As part of the hierarchal order of life, we all play an indispensable role in the creative process. There will be times when you may resist participation in this process, but this is only temporary as the natural order of life is inherently creative, eternally moving upward and yearning for greater expression.
Savina Shah, Dhaka
It’s more often loneliness than freedom when there’s no one around to wake you up in the morning.
Saad, Mumbai
Lost the freedom to breathe the fresh air in public due to the pandemic
Shema Sivan, Pandalam
In 2020 I realized that no matter what the books preach, sitting at your desk in a worn-out t-shirt with a dog-eared paperback, an old journal and a cup of hot chocolate is the best kind of happily-ever-after that ever existed.
Aindrila Banerjee, Kolkata
The year 2020 made me realise that our journey together is so short! If we all realise that our time is too short to darken it with quarrels, futile arguments, not forgiving others, discontentment and fault-finding attitude, it would be a waste of time and energy.
Satwinder Kaur Brar, Mohali
2020 was indeed a lesson that taught me to keep going, to never lose hope, to accept realities and to face challenges head on.
Ruchi, Mumbai
If you really want to be happy, you need to focus on what you’ve. Do not spoil your today by thinking about tomorrow.
Saba Saifi, Delhi
2020 made me look back and reminded me of the promises i made to myself once. Helped me realize i can still try to fullfill them.
Vini. K, Navi Mumbai
It brought the change from barely scraping through life, confused and not knowing what to do in life, to finding my path and wanting to do so much now.
Monisha Jasrai, New Delhi
2020 changed my perspective about life and the way we were taking everything for granted.
Nabjot Kaur, Mohali
In a year of holding on to hopes and beliefs, I learned to let go and embrace the lessons difficult times bring.
Hardik Hingorani, Mountain View
Perception about life, self growth and inner peace.
Shafeeda T, Kerala
I used to teach kids in the lockdown period… In that, we all realised that our hopes are the wings attached to heart and soul, which never stopped at all. Like that we shouldn’t stop believing in ourselves and work hard for a stronger tomorrow.
Manisha Jain, Bangalore
Don’t save anything for a special occasion, being alive is the special occasion.
Anukriti Srivastava, Varanasi
My talent and skills got appreciated and it opened multiple opportunities for me.
Aastha Patangia, Mumbai
My perspective towards life, grabbing opportunities and my health.
Humaira Kazi, Navi Mumbai
I lost a lot friends, but gained one that will be with me forever.
Shubhangi, Patna
Everything from my marital status, residence country to start of a new career, every aspect of my life changed in 2020
Sufiya, Mumbai
My wishlist got adjusted to more sustainable & greener ways.
Pallavi, Mahad
Worth of time and value of family.
Sparshika Bhattacharjee, Kolkata
The realisation that everything is transient made me actually live life.
Ummesalama Karu, Pune
This year taught me how art in your veins and book in your hands, with kindness in your heart is all you need to fight the voices in your head that resist you from walking, that sunshine is you and your notes of hope that you leave for others on a gloomy day.
Rakshita Tripathi, Gandhinagar
Personal mental thoughts and inhaled confidence!
Muskan Kapoor, Kanpur
My size and my age, but in no case my wage.
Rutuja Deulkar, Aurangabad
Realising how important financial literacy is!
Pravgya, Indore
It broadened my spectrum of feeling the sufferings of people around me.
Tahleel Bilal, Srinagar
Happiness is within ourselves and in a smile of others too.
Kiran Kesarkar, Pune
The way I used to handle negative people and bad situations is changed in 2020.
Gunjan, Amravati
Believing in yourself and having patience is all that we need to succeed.
Aishwarya, Mumbai
This year taught us that nothing is more important than our lives.
Muskan Pradhan, Bhopal
I found myself changed in 2020, I became more compassionate.
Rutwa, Surat
It brought me upto exploring a lot of things like am writing poetries now and I like it a lot, I’ve learned cooking, learned morse code, solving sudoku & learned german a bit.
Anubhav Jha, Durg
The facts of what I want and what I need.
Ujjwal Sharma, Dehradun
2020 made ny vision towars life more clearer and gave me so much time to introspect and make some concrete plans for future.
Yavnika Sood, Ambala
The realisation on how a homemakers day goes about, can’t thank my amma enough.
Laxmi, Chennai
I realized what really matters, I metamorphosed.
Siddhi Bansal, Meerut
The perception that life is long and hence I will start working tomorrow!
Vilita, Udupi
The reality of life and its unexpected ways to surprise us.
Samanta Kale, Nagpur
Unlike others, my mental health really improved during 2020 since i got so much time to myself for self evaluation which made me realize that the real ones in your life will stay with you no matter how worse the situation gets.
Aqshra Saji, Thiruvananthapuram
Attending classes lying in my bed.
Diksha, Ahmedabad
2020 brought self-confidence in me. Now I trust myself more than anybody else.
Daisy Ashh, Vadodara
The definition of a preprogrammed life which at the end got thrashed miserably by the unpredictable time.
Suchismita Ghoshal, Malda
This year made me realize I’m stuck in some place between once upon a time and happily ever after
Shihana, Trivandrum
I thought if you loved someone you should let them go but I came to know that in love you don’t let go or you don’t leave, you stay and work things out you stay until it’s right.
Nandana Vinod, Calicut
All that matters is to be alive! If you are alive everything can be done.
Tanvi Pal, Dehradun
My perspective towards life, people and myself changed in 2020. A year of introspection and changes.
Nancy Gupta, Jhansi
I found my real happiness in 2020, entire routine changed and a aiming towards the more healthier lifestyle.
Shwetha Shanmugam, Chennai
I got comfortable in my skin my mental, emotional and physical state got better this year was the year of positive changes for me.
Rishika Garg, Noida
The withered rose within me started to smile and all that was possible because of continuous nurturing for own soul.
Aanchal Mishra, Kalyan
Defintion of laziness.
Rushfida, Calicut
Count your blessings and learn to live with what you have.
Alok Nigam, Gurgaon
I found that being completely honest is far better than just saying things because someone might want to hear that. I grown so much these last 4 months communication is key to keep a healthy realationship . communication for me doesnt always come naturally .
Dankydewdle, India
What changed for me is my perception about life… Life around me, life in me, life depending on me, life I am dependent on… Life in general. Me in general. And that was eye opening.
Shafeeda, India
Perspective of normal💫 changed. This year has given me such a speed breaker, but I can’t wait for the new highway that’s starting the new decade !
Vardhan, India
The way of my thoughts that I can wake up and stand and I’m strong enough to handle my situation The belief in my God that after such a ferocious storm I’m still alive and surviving
Debopriya, Purba Bardhaman, West Bengal
In 2020, I realized that there are some times that you can never go back to, how much ever you wish, not because they have passed, but because you have moved on.
Pavithra Ganesan, India
This year brought in the realisation that life is a set of such unprecedented times; some are external while some internal. Acknowledging and Accepting these situations is all is takes to soar through them all. Also, 2020 made me know that people who deserve the least, need compassion more than anyone else. Compassion is the real key to Tranquility and Altruism.
hapoetry.epoh, India
Learning self defense to escape from demeaning men.
Aishvarya, Erode
I represented India in UNESCO to talk about education.
Sushmita, Trichy
Belly fat.
Siddharth Ratapani Navin, Mountain View
I started believing in uncertainty.
Kumari Shivanjali, Hazaribagh , Jharkhand
That a single glimpse of a certain thing, even though in a dream, can carry you through all the dark in your life.
Anusha, Bangalore
Humans are honestly deadlier a threat than the virus.
Abhiram, Chennai
2020 made a huge change of perspective about people and time in my life.
Kiran Pawar, Akole,Ahmednagar
My dreams and future which I won’t be able to conquer 🙂.
Anusha Kiran, Thrissur
2020 made me realise the value of my family and how death keeps looming at every corner of our life.
bazmiwrites, India
I learned to let go my obsession for someone and accept the reality.
Supriya Prakash Khetmal, India
Love is something you hold on even when you don’t want to.
theurbanthoughts, India
Don’t expect anything from anyone and you will become the happiest person in the world!
Udisha Yadav, India
Understood that a simple life doesn’t cost much!
Raghavendra Shedbal, Bengaluru
Every thing around me went upside down.
Shivani, Bangalore
I got used to spending time with myself. It was initially scary, now it’s not that bad.
Dhriti, Bangalore
Emotionally, I have become very unavailable and I’m not in control of my feelings. It has become very very unstable.
Bhoomika Ravi Shankar, Bangalore
Started prioritising meeting with my life coach and finally opened up to him.
Smrithi, Bangalore
My eating habits have become way more healthier, and it wouldn’t have happened if not for the lockdown.
Alqiya Humoor, Bangalore
My understanding of my own consciousness.
Vaishnavi, Bangalore
Me as a person changed from within
Khushi, Delhi
Started living independently with my first job.
Tarang, Guwahati
Realised that fitness is my passion.
Khushi Bhandari, Bangalore
Finally independent!
Thiru, Bangalore
This year has made me realise that humans are delicate creatures who are simple, stupid, and easily confused.
Shreyas, Bangalore
It isn’t much of a ‘change’ but I’ve learnt to save a lot of money.
Muang, New Delhi
Lost my job again this year. But realised it’s better to focus on my health and personal life this year.
Richa Arora, Bangalore
1 Comment
My biggest learning, “If we can retain these learnings in years to come”