A turbulent year hinting at a revitalized future
We made it. Sometimes it felt touch and go but we got through 2021 personally, professionally, emotionally, and financially.
I’m not sure what the history books will say about this last year, but this past month—as I do every December—I reflected on the year and began to appreciate that, while tumultuous, 2021 was a year of growth. A transition year—in 2021 we began building the foundations of the future.
In the moment, we saw a global pandemic continue to wreak havoc on our daily lives. Financially, the significant uptick in inflation made investors increasingly nervous, and everyday Americans worry about the value of their dollar. The supply chain bottlenecks concerned many that basic goods would be difficult, if not impossible, to acquire. Anyone watching the news this last year was on emotional roller coaster of doom.
But after some reflection—let me reassure you, the sun is not setting—darkness is not to follow the light we fear is dimming. Instead, 2021 was a year of dawning. Out of the pandemic (and the subsequent clumsy response) new industries were born. The pressure to work remote during the pandemic shifted our populations in directions unimagined pre-pandemic, spreading founders, thinkers, and doers outside their established physical and mental territories—spurring new strategies of how tackle this next century.
Here in the U.S., the chaos has propelled crypto currency into mainstream. A large portion of my retired clients are increasingly interested in this space—indicating an interest beyond the early adopter. Alternative educational systems are flourishing as post-pandemic parents are looking for new avenues to educate their children. Businesses that never existed before the pandemic have grown to meet society’s demands in areas such as education technology, remote fitness products, and telemedicine. Pandemic entrepreneurs started businesses in record numbers during 2021.
Along with industries evolving, many individuals changed personal and professional paths because of the global disruption. We see the “Great Resignation” taking place with record numbers of people leaving their jobs in the past year. While we don’t yet know what the driving cause is, I tend to think this trend indicates an existing desire for individual choice in our personal lives. Anecdotally, many of my clients and friends have evaluated their lives in light of the last two years and have chosen the path less traveled. Some for personal growth, others to spend more time with their families; always to move closer to their desired life course.
So with that I urge you all to remember that disruption often stretches human endeavors to meet the challenges of the moment. It will be bumpy, chaotic, and not always pleasant. But in 2022 the sun will continue to rise on a new chapter in our growth as individuals and as people. I hope you all had a wonderful end of 2021, and look forward to hearing about the challenges and successes you tackle in 2022.
Wishing you many happy market returns and a Happy New Years.