A little bit longer than a year ago the COVID-19 pandemic started. With a lot of uncertainty the world shut down and a breeze of fear blew by. It is kind of weird to think about the last year. From lockdown to freedom, followed by another lockdown. The year was insane actually. And I have written about that quite often now already. But the lockdown also shone a light on new things. During the last year, I have learned so much about myself, my friends, and my future. Therefore, today, I would like to share my lessons with you. Maybe you have grown the same way as I did.
This year might not have been the best year for the economy and I am sure that not everyone feels the same about last year as I do. For the ones left with the after-effects of being ill and the ones ending up in a financial crisis, I feel sorry for you. And I wish that the coming year will offer better.
.Self-reflection.
As a result of being on my own a lot of times and finding ways to keep myself motivated, I learned a lot from myself. I had a lot of time to think about what I was doing and why I was going in that direction. And this motivated me to work more towards my dreams. With one major result: working more with fabrics. My passion for crafting blossomed again and I think that I have not worked so much with fabrics for quite a long period of time. This even directed me towards my material knowledge, followed by the idea that I want to incorporate this more into my work as a designer.
Another thing I took lessons from, was personal growth. I took online masterclasses, read books, broadened my knowledge, and so much more. These activities gave me subjects to think about, regarding my present and future self.
.New future thoughts.
When I was younger I thought a lot about the future. Who I wanted to be and how everything would work out. This period was followed by a period where I did not want to map out my future so much anymore. Because you cannot always know which directions your life has to offer you. And I still think about that the same way. Last year opened up a lot of unexpected doors. For example, it became clear to me which direction in design would fit me. Together with what kinds of companies would fit my preferences for work. Now that I am almost done with studying, thoughts about working come along more often. In approximately 1,5 years I will be a master of science in the field of Industrial Design. And I know for sure now, that that is what I should be doing and where my passion lays.
.Relationships.
I think that everyone took lessons in the category of relationships. Hearing that people broke up now they had to sit all day together without any outdoor activity, and other bonds became stronger. For me personally, the last thing happened. For example, after being isolated together for 3,5 weeks my love relationship became stronger. On top of that, in a year like this, you experience a lot together.


Of course, there are also other relationships than the one with your partner. Family and friends are relationships as well. And being further away from each other (time and distance), bonds grew stronger. In a year where you were not allowed to see each other a lot, or together with others, new insights were given. Friendships and family became stronger and some friendships faded. And this is okay. One of the lessons for me: surround yourself with the ones that make you laugh. And the ones that have a special place in your heart.
.Lessons to take with me.
There are some lessons from last year that I would take with me into the future. Firstly, I want to live more consciously. Not only regarding the environment, but also regarding self-care and care for my loved ones. Living day by day, wondering what the future might bring me, and treasuring what I have now.

Secondly, I want to choose more for myself. I am a huge doubt ass and this gives me stress sometimes. Sometimes I do not even know what I desire and choose based upon what I think others would like me to do. Sometimes that’s okay, but often it is not. I am building my own future.
Lastly, I want to take with me that I have to do what feels right and follow my passion. If I feel unsure, I have to discard it. And if I feel passionate I have to continue. One way or another, I feel that this will bring me happiness and luck.
In conclusion, I am not happy with last year regarding the quality of life. But I am happy with the lessons I got to learn. I don’t know if I would have been able to reflect so much on myself if the pandemic had not happened. And maybe I am even grateful for it. Only when applying it to self-growth.