I’ve been fighting the temptation to write a year in review type post/ email because it feels expected, and obvious. The rebel is me is like, girl, don’t be like everyone else- do something different. We all know another year has passed, and that there was drama, upset, endings and beginnings.

Like so many I am about sick and tire of every email I get saying something along the lines, I hope this email finds you safe and well, or In this unprecidented time… or people passive aggressively talking about the 2020 as the worst year ever.

I’m bored with it, and honestly bored with this post already, but if you stick with me, hopefully I can bring it home and deliver some value.

As I consider all the things from last year as we move into the new year, I like to approach the big picture of the year, the same why I approach how my day goes.

It’s the same line of questioning I teach my clients, to help them learn to control what they can, cope with what they can’t and learn to tell the difference.

In general as human beings, we tend to be an overthinking, anxious, stressed out bunch, as technology becomes more and wrapped into the fold of daily life, I think think that becomes more true.

Looking back on the goals I made at the beginning of the year vs the progress I made in attaining them through the year is always enlightening and eye opening.

It’s interesting how much we put on ourselves to show up, make things happen, and get massive results in a relatively small window of time.

This year, for me personally, was a year of profound change and adaptation from selling our house, moving 3 times, starting not just 1 but 2 new businesses, writing 2 books that will be released within weeks of each other this spring, spending time separated from my family, and figuring a lot of things out all over again. It was a year of change, pivot, and transformation.

I looked back at the progress I had made throughout the year, the pressure I put on myself, as well as the space and grace I gave myself and I gotta tell ya, I am proud. Not because I achieved any or even all of my goals, because I didn’t- missed them all by a mile, but my life today looks profoundly different from my life a year ago.

A year ago, I was a stressed out mess- closing a business, in debt up to my eyeballs, feeling so alone, having no idea what was next, and separated from my husband (we had to divide and conquer our situation, it was taxing, but we made through.) This time a year ago, I felt completely adrift.

When COVID hit, I had actually decided to make a crack at this whole coaching and consulting business after threatening to for years. So for me, nothing really changed. I kept working. Taking care of my family, and charting a new course and a new direction.

2020 was the year I :

• Started Over

• Gained weight

• Lived out of a suitcase

• Started 2 new businesses

• Grew my blog

• Started to find my voice, again

• Moved 3 TImes

• Paid off debt

• Spent a ton of time alone

• Got my breast implants removed

• Didn’t workout for 9 months (the longest I have gone without working out in over a decade.)

• Made some progress towards my goals, but not a ton

• Showed up everyday

It was a good year, and not my worst year by far. It was a year of change and learning. It was a year of allowing things to happen as they happen, releasing control and being ok with the outcomes.

Some of things I (re)learned this year:

1. I was reminded at the end of this year, when we took a small vacation to Florida, and had the opportunity to hang out with some incredible investors and business people, the importance of surrounding yourself with people who think differently, who are where you want to be, and who have a lifetime of experience under their belt. Learning to sit down, shut up, listen and learn from those who are living a life you dream of is one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself.

2. I had forgotten how hard it is in the beginning to start a new business. Making it up as I went. Throwing stuff at the wall, seeing what sticks. It was a year of laying a new foundation, it was exhilarating, scary, full of joy, and at times lonely.

3. It’s ok to start over, people will judge you, you will judge yourself- but keep pushing forward.

4. You DO NOT have to have your whole life figured out when you are 30- your whole life is a process of figuring life out- enjoy the journey.

5. Just because you are good or even great at something, doesn’t mean you have to keep doing it, especially if it steals your joy and sense of peace.

6. It’s ok to look back to reflect and learn, but don’t get stuck living in the past

7. Radical self love means loving myself in all my forms…it’s ok if I gain some weight, I can always lose it, wasting time beating myself up is wasted time hating God’s creation.

8. Enjoy the process! Seriously, the process of achieving your goals is not always enjoyable, it is work, and most times it is work, staying focused on the work. It’s not always fun, it’s not always entertaining, sometimes it really just boils down to checking things off the to-do list- regardless of how you feel in the moment.

9. Set the big goal, break it down to daily focus goals, show up everyday, keep going.

10. The long term matters more that the short term. When you focus on taking care of the long term, the short term will take care of itself. In business today, it’s easy to focus on the short term, we see testimonials from short term results- but nobody talks about the long term journey to get there. You hear about the 50k or 100k launch that someone who worked for 5 years to build and nurture their list achieved once. Yes it’s exciting for the marketer to have that testimonial- but it can also set you up for feeling like you aren’t even keeping up and leave you wondering if you will ever get there. It takes 20 years to become an overnight success.

11. It’s ok to remove social media from your phone and tablet. The world will not stop spinning, you will not miss anything- but you might be able to breathe easier.

12. Use social media as a tool. Contribute more than you consume. Wasting life scrolling makes you the product and the person social media is using.

13. If something steals your sleep, consumes your thoughts, or stresses you out- address it sooner rather than later, you might ruffle feathers and cause a commotion, but that’s part of life and leadership.

14. Figure it out. You can learn how to do just anything, just do a quick google search.

15. Repurpose all your content. Record a podcast with video > Youtube >Transcribe for blog > Graphics for social > Email and links.

16. Messaging matters. Keep putting stuff out there until the message hits home for your audience, it can take time to gain traction, and have your voice heard in this noisy world. Keep going.

17. Simplify, simplify, simplify. If you feel stressed and overwhelmed, take things off your plate, ask yourself how can I make this easier?

18. Systems matter. In business or at home, systems can save your life. Something I started doing about 6 months ago that changed my life and the frustration I have around doing dishes and having a tidy house- which for years has been a tremendous challenge for me are.. when a dish is dirty it doesn’t sit in the sink , it gets rinsed and goes straight into the dishwasher. Then at night, 10 minutes before I go to bed, I do a quick tidy, and feel like my life isn’t a disaster when I wake up in the morning and get ready for the day.

19. Remain nimble and flexible. Life is ever changing, always be prepared to pivot.

20. Create accountability systems for yourself. It doesn’t matter what your goals are, make sure your foundation for achieving your goals includes some kind of accountability- whether through coaching, rewards systems, planning and time blocking and reflection.

2020 was another year, a year full of joy