New Year Reflections

Wow! What a Year! I can say that with so many different meanings or tones.

 I can remember being in the zone as 2019 drew to an end. I had just started working with an amazing coach for my coaching business and the last 2 days were spent feverously cranking out ideas and plans for the coming year. I had also redefined or fine-tuned the direction of my balloon business. I was ready to hit the ground running.

Then New Year’s Eve, my son spent half the day feeling ill with what we later discovered was severe migraines. Then, I wake up to my husband on the floor in the middle of the night and had to rush him to the ER. We ended up spending the first weeks of 2021 in the hospital and most of January working on his healing.  Let’s just say the New Year came in loud.

I lost all the momentum that I had built up leading into 2021 and had to refocus my energy. I started getting back into my flow in mid-February and in March I lost my father. The 1^st Quarter was definitely a rough season for me and my family. Not to mention all the things happening to those around us.

I am sharing all this because it is real. Real life, real stuff happens. But I don’t want to leave it here. Some really awful stuff happened last year but so did some really amazing stuff. Both are real, both are valid but I don’t want to disregard the amazing things that happened because some stuff sucked.

Also, this year, I stayed the course and continued to develop my Coaching Business. I moved slower than I had originally planned, I took breaks when I needed to, but I keep going because I know it is my calling to help women to receive their success stories. I grew the business and watched my clients have breakthroughs and step into themselves and their greatness!

Both of my businesses afforded me the opportunity to travel abroad this year. I had an enriching retreat with my sister coaches in Tulum and I participated in Big Balloon Build in the UK. I stretched myself outside of my comfort zone in so many ways this year and I am grateful for the growth that has come from it.

I have met so many AMAZING people this year. Joined a circle of Sister Coaches that is just unreal. And reconnected with all the PHENOMENAL people already in my circle. I LOVE my circle.

I enjoyed my family. We traveled and shared company with each other during the whole work from home/virtual learning phase of life. Walter even got to go on a puppy vacation. (Two if you count the Hurricane Ida evacuation).

My biggest takeaways from 2021 are that sometimes things suck. They just do and, in those moments, you have to feel what you are feeling and give yourself grace because the outside world, your original plans don’t matter in those moments. And when recovering from the things that suck, stop pressuring yourself to “catch up”, there is no deadline to achieving your greatness. It is yours and you just have to keep moving towards it. You don’t have to catch up, just keep going.

Another takeaway, enjoy the moment. There will be moments when you can’t find happiness or joy so enjoy the moments when you can. Stop glossing over the good parts, give them their proper space. And even make the moment when it is within reach. Evacuation sucked but we had some good moments mixed in as well.

Do the thing! Stop being scared and just go for it. Or rather do it scared. You will not regret it! Some of the most amazing moments of this year came from doing something that I would not ordinarily do.

Figure out what is really important to you and make sure your actions are in alignment with that. This year I focused on letting go of what doesn’t really matter. I stopped doing things just because I was supposed to do them if they didn’t line up with what I want out of life.

Which leads me to my final takeaway, choose happiness. I know that is overused and may sound corny to some and unrealistic to others but it is so real. It doesn’t mean that things will always be good or that you will always feel happy. Choosing happiness means that you are making decisions that increase and protect your happiness. There are so many things that we allow to steal our joy that are actually rather silly. You can fuss about the sock on the floor all day long or just pick up and enjoy your day. It is really that simple sometimes.

Yep, Wow! What a Year!

Looking forward to what the year brings. Hoping for more joy than sorrow. And always choosing what aligns with my success story and brings me happiness. Happy New Year!