2020 has brought about so many changes in every aspect of our lives. What happened to the resolutions that you had made for this year?

Many had aspirations to leap into the next stage of life, whether personally or professionally. Chances are, the plans that you made were either placed on hold or abandoned altogether. Life is about changes and as this year has shown us, detours can happen at any time.

The economy has been drastically altered and while many employees have been able to continue working, there are countless who did not have the same outcome, in part due to the nature of their jobs or as is the case for some businesses – not being able to survive under the new restrictions put in place to curb the spread of the pandemic.

Necessity breeds creativity and we have seen that displayed over and over throughout the course of the pandemic. “During March and April 2020 alone, virtual Covid-19-innovation competitions (aka hackathons) drew in tens of thousands of participants from 175 countries.” Dirk G. Schroeder, an Associate Professor of Social Entrepreneurship and Global Health at Emory University.

The rise in entrepreneurship is evident everywhere you look, with multiple businesses popping up to fulfill the demand for goods or services. While there has been a marked increase in e-commerce, other industries such as delivery and personal protective supply companies are thriving. This is not surprising, as very early in the pandemic, many experts were predicting that the coronavirus would be the driving force for new innovation, as evidenced throughout history.

“Black swan events, such as economic recessions and pandemics, change the trajectory of governments, economies and businesses — altering the course of history,” Hamza Mudassir, Managing Director and Co-Founder at Platypodes.io, in this Entrepreneur article.

Now more than ever, the need to be agile is crucial. Anticipating the next move is vital to survival and being ready to seize the next opportunity will be greatly enhanced via continuous learning. How do you prepare for your next reinvention? Identifying and honing skills will tremendously boost self confidence as you navigate through the changes.

Think outside the box. If you have a perennially in demand skill such as accounting, instead of only marketing those services at tax time, consider leveraging that expertise at other times by freelancing with small businesses who may not have the resources to hire full time accountants.

It has been quite the leap year but you need to get back on track. Attend webinars, research trends, listen to inspiring podcasts and take advantage of free training courses, as you continue to evolve.