“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” – Mary Oliver
This is a time for reflection, we have had several weeks of a variety of celebrations and we are starting off a new year! We made it through November and December, here we are. Culturally we are onto the next thing, specifically our goals and resolutions for 2022. Come on let’s get stuff done!
I am going to ask you to pause, take a deep breath and make time to reflect on ALL that happened in 2021. Allow yourself to celebrate what you have accomplished and worked through. Proposing you set aside the items that still need to be returned, the thanks you notes that are partially written and the decorations that are piled on the stairs to be put away until next November, Oh yeah, working in a new exercise routine to whittle away those added holiday pounds…… Honestly, just writing this exhausts me.
Like you, I am a purpose driven woman, emphasis on the driven part. I am very awareness that there is always something else to do…. My question to you is, what is enough? If we don’t take time to celebrate our wins and successes we will burn out. AND the year is very new. I wish we could all go away together for a 3-day spa retreat and remind each other all that we have worked through and come out the other side. Even if it was hard or not pretty, we could hug and support one another to wholeness, gratitude and “enoughness”.
Unfortunately I cannot invite you all to join me for a 3-day spa retreat this year, yet I can suggest ways to tend to your busy soul. Here are 4 tips to practice this month:
1. Create one word to focus on this year. I find this more helpful than bodacious goals that can sometimes stop us in our tracks, get put on the shelf or don’t get adjusted to keep them relevant. Using one word as your plumbline can keep you focused and on purpose. (Plus it is easy to remember). Jon Gordon wrote a book called; One Word That Will Change Your Life, (jongordon.com/books/one-word).This can support you in the process of finding that one word for this year.
2. “Have you noticed that when we die, our eulogies celebrate our lives very differently from the way society defines success?” – Arianna Huffington
Get clear on what success means to you and what that will look like for you in 2022. That way, when you do succeed, meet your objectives, you will know it when you experience it. Otherwise, how will we ever be able to measure success if it just remains a vague “something” out there? What is fun is when your One Word for 2022 aligns with your definition of success. Allowing us to be aligned and in flow!
3. Allow yourself to feel good about your progress. Remember where you have come from. Celebrating your small wins is important in your journey to success, it keeps the fire in your belly alive. When I first started as an entrepreneur in the dark ages, there was an adage. “Rip the rearview mirror out and keep looking down the road.” I am suggesting keep your eyes on the road, stay in your lane AND periodically look at how far you have come.
4. Thank those who have helped you along the way. I just achieved a huge milestone at the end of December. I called and texted those women who encouraged me, counseled me, pushed me and held the mirror to my face. A favorite line from one of Maya Angelou’s poems reads, “I come as one, but I stand as 10,000.” Thank those who are in your corner, it amplifies the joy.
XoX
Betsy
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