Celebrate Your Year
Are you feeling overwhelmed with your life and that you just didn’t accomplish what you set out to do this year?
You are not alone. The end of the year can leave us feeling inspired for all that is to come or, like many, feeling like we didn’t accomplish many of our goals!
Perhaps, this past year, you wanted to eat better, keep better boundaries, hit a sales goal, stop rushing around, get a promotion or finish a project that has been on your list forever.
Perhaps you had something unexpected and hard happen in your life, such as being a working parent juggling work and online school, or the loss of a loved one, or just life in general feeling heavy.
For me, this has been a harder year with weeks of juggling online school and work, and the sudden death of my mom this Fall. But it has also been a wonderful year of growth and joy.
While it can be tempting to end the year with the narrative that you didn't succeed or it was just too hard, it is far more empowering and helpful to shift your focus to . . .
What is good? What you did progress on? What were the lessons this year offered you?
This doesn't mean ignoring the hard stuff; it means noticing that the good is there too.
And I am certain there are so many accomplishments and good things that happened in your year that are preparing for what is next in your life.
You just have to be willing to look for them.
So, as you wrap up the year (before you get into your new goals and ambitions) I encourage you to take stock of your accomplishments and lessons from 2021.
Here are some questions to get you started . . .
What were your biggest wins/accomplishments/lessons for the year?
Acknowledge the good. Where did you move the needle? What are the good things that happened in your life? Push yourself to list out at least 10 accomplishments from your year.
What is the biggest obstacle still getting in your way and holding you back?
Pinpoint the ONE area that you can tackle to make everything else easier in your work and rest of life . . . take the time to bring awareness to it as the first step to overcoming it!
How did you help serve others or make someone else’s life better?
Connect your efforts to others. How did you help your team be successful? How did you help someone who was struggling? What are small acts of kindness you’ve shown?
What do you still aspire to and you want to bring into next year?
What do you really want for yourself and others? What do you NOT want? Why are these things important to you? This gives you a sense of where you want to go from here.
What can you let go of (and leave in 2021) that is no longer serving you?
It might be a relationship, an unhelpful habit, a limiting belief, a "failure", whatever comes up for you. Let it go so you can make room for something new.
Take an hour, grab a coffee, and a quiet place to reflect on these questions, professionally and personally. Be specific and don't overthink it. Trust whatever comes up for you.
This exercise can give you energy, clarity and leave you with a sense of accomplishment to end the year. You can also feel lighter as you let go of what's no longer serving you.
Most of all, however the year went, be kind to yourself and grant yourself grace. You cannot change the past; all you can do is figure out your next move forward.
And if one of your intentions for next year is to create more balance in your life, I invite you to join my annual live 'The Big Shift' workshop series coming up in January.
This workshop is designed for people who want to work less and contribute in a deeper way, feel happier and healthier, and have the freedom to enjoy their lives without all the overwhelm and guilt.
I will help you identify your true priorities, boundaries that work for you, and small, simple habits to take back control of your time and life (and a new way of thinking about success).
You can step into being the person you want to be (which is really who you truly are).
If this sounds like something that would interest you, join us! It's only $47 CAD per person (special rate for a group or team), which includes the recordings.
This is truly an investment in yourself that could change your life forever. Sign up today and you can add your registration to your list of wins for 2021 . . . you're taking action.
Click here now to register for this once-a-year live workshop happening the week of January 17th, 2022.
Whatever you choose, I'm here celebrating you. I hope you celebrate yourself!
What Next?
You can sign up for Stacey's masterclass, The Confident "No" here.
Stacey L. Olson is a Leadership and Certified Positive Psychology Coach, has 15 years of corporate experience and has gone through her own transformational change from burning out to balanced in life while performing at a high level (both in her corporate career and own business). She works with professionals who want to work less, live more and be their best even with all the demands, high expectations and messiness of everyday life. Stacey is the founder of The Balanced Leader™ program and offers executive and leadership coaching, workshops, and speaking.
