A few years ago, I switched up my New Years’ rhythm to give space for time + reflection in January. No more goal-setting. No more pushing to start the year off on the “right” foot or have my “one word” for the year by January 1. That was too much pressure. And I was always falling short of my own expectations. More often than not, I was exhausted by the start of February. Now, I take time during the month of January to reflect on:
what WAS the year before
what IS right now
and what COULD BE in the months ahead.
I celebrate the goodness of the past year, and do my best to work-through-then-let-go-of the pain + disappointment of the past year too.
I let my “one word” + intentions come to me, instead of forcing them into existence. It’s not a perfect rhythm. In fact, it often looks + feels + seems messy. But it works for me. And by February, I’m ready to run into the rest of the year.
SIDENOTE: Here’s what reflecting on 2019 looked for me—I realized that I finished a huge year of transition as we settled into our first year in South Bend. In just one year, we already have true friends + a wonderful community. I worked with some amazing coaching clients—old + new—who continue to trust me with their journey + teach me new things in powerful ways. I changed a few consulting practices for the better—and they actually worked! I wrote over 200,000+ words with/for authors + provided an editorial eye for double that amount. I stepped into some new teaching opportunities. And I had the chance to exercise my word for 2019 (Strength) in some really hard + good ways—ways that allowed me to set better relational boundaries + still love my people well. I share this because if I was in my old rhythm of breezing right through December into January without some reflection, I would have missed ALL OF THIS.
So, here’s my encouragement to you:
Figure out a New Years’ Rhythm that works best for you.
Celebrate the past year—including the ups + downs.
Give yourself time + space to dive into the new year.
Then, go for it with gusto!
