Aren’t you glad 2020 is behind us?
You learned a lot.
We look back at a year like this and recognize how much we grew in the face of adversity and never before seen challenges… But we don’t always see how much we will continue to grow in the future.
This is the End of History Illusion.
“When individuals of all ages believe that they have experienced significant personal growth and changes in tastes up to the present moment, but will not substantially grow or mature in the future.
Despite recognizing that their perceptions have evolved, individuals predict that their perceptions will remain roughly the same in the future.”
Some of us will come out of 2020 believing we are finally who we were meant to be.
We significantly underestimate how much we will change… But the reality is, we’re going to keep changing.
“At every stage of our lives we make decisions that will profoundly influence the lives of the people we’re going to become, and then when we become those people, we’re not always thrilled with the decisions we made.
So young people pay good money to get tattoos removed that teenagers paid good money to get. Middle-aged people rushed to divorce people who young adults rushed to marry… On and on and on.” –Daniel Gilbert, Harvard Psychologist
When you expand your awareness of how much growth is in front of you, there are more possibilities to look forward to.
While your brain may associate this turn of the year as the end of 2020, it’s just the beginning of who you will become.
“When you accept the End of History Illusion, you realize that the odds of picking a job when you’re not old enough to drink that you will still enjoy when you’re old enough to qualify for Social Security are low. The trick is to accept the reality of change and move on as soon as possible.” -Morgan Housel, Author of the Psychology of Money
So pay attention. Set intention. And stay grounded in your values as you continue to evolve and may 2021 be your year.
“Most people overestimate what they can do in one year and underestimate what they can do in ten years.” -Bill Gates