Dear 2020,
I’ve spent the better part of my morning deciding how to start this letter to our Caposhie family. How do you begin what is normally a very celebratory note amid what is still a very non-normal, not-so-celebratory year?
While we still don't know the long-term consequences of this past year, COVID-19, and everything else our world has experienced in 2020, I hope we can reflect on what you have taught us — and how we're moving forward.
This letter covers two areas related to that: Two major shifts I’ve experienced/ lessons I’ve learned in 2020. It is my hope that our caposhie community can find inspiration from at least one of these items, make it their own, and continue the momentum in their own unique way.
Number One: Keep The Long Game In Perspective.
This year started with me thinking we had it all mapped out! We had the best holiday season in our company history, we hit the jackpot discovering our new sourcing network in Italy, Greece and Turkey mix it with what we have developed Locally and all over Asia we were at least going to have our best year yet!
Instead we were quickly knocked to our feet as our plans started to crumble, we lost Plan A… then Plan B... Plan C until finally I was all out of plans. I was forced to surrender to the year of my dreams.
What I quickly realized in the frenzy of it all is that although you were going to be a long year. Do you know what’s longer? The rest of our lives. This realization quickly gave me a tremendous opportunity to realize that time and energy are limited resources and we need to use it well and wisely. You forced us to slow down, pause and do some thinking around our lives, our careers, commitments, the things we care deeply about and our core values.
I have learned to be so deeply and humbly appreciative for all the people in my life, my health and the ability to be able get up each day and do something I truly love with people I care so much about.
Number Two : Resiliency Lies Within Simplicity
Resilience is defined as “the process of adapting well in the face of adversity” In May as people started to resurrect from lock down it was a truly terrifying time. My mind went through more scenarios than I knew what to do with. We had little resources and I had zero idea how best to handle the situation at hand. But talking to all of you together we conspired a plan. We kept it simple. Each day we all woke up and put one foot in front of the other and did what we need to do to keep our doors open. We adapted as we needed to keep us and our communities safe, we put on a smile and some good music and provided a place of refuge from the loneliness that so many suffered. I am so thankful and grateful for each and every one of you.
When the clock strikes midnight and we say goodby to 2020 and ring in 2021 it is not going to all magically be easier. The truth is we still have a long road uphill before we are through this monumental shift but... we will be okay. Together we are going to need to keep perspective on the long game and continue to keep it simple put our left foot in front of our right and make every person who walks in our door leave a little happier.
2021 we are ready for you!