2020 is just around the corner. 

A new year. 

A new DECADE. 

I LOVE this time of year. I am the kind of person who is always wanting to learn, grow and improve.  So for me this time of year is perfect for reflection. How did I do this year? What did I accomplish? Did I hit the goals I set? 

Knowing that we are at the end of a decade  has made me reflect not just on the past year, but the past 10 years! And it’s hit me hard. I started going down the path of:

· every year I set certain goals and I never hit them

· I didn’t do enough

· I didn’t work hard enough

· I am capable of so much more

· I played small

I knew better than to do that. And I also knew what I needed to do. 

I needed to look at all that I DID accomplish. What did I do? 

When I started to unpack all that I did I recognized that I have done a lot in 10 short years. I had 3 babies, stayed married (which wasn’t hard but it is something to be proud of) built a successful network marketing business, built my business to the point where I could walk away from my career as a massage therapist , I’ve volunteered at my kids school, joined the school Council, continued to teach fitness classes, continued to grow myself, became a certified Health and Life Coach, recently started a second business. Yet, while writing this out I still hear the whisper……. “it wasn’t enough.”

I knew that in order to silence the whisper I had to look at this from a different perspective. I decided to circle back to an exercise that author and motivational speaker Robin Sharma shared in an email a few years back. Robin Sharma has us dig deeper into what we’ve done. He asks these key questions:

1. What wins do you need to celebrate from the last 12 months? What do you need to acknowledge and appreciate?

Take inventory of your success, victories, special moments.

When we start to acknowledge our wins (big or small) we begin to feel good about ourselves, confidence begins to creep in. We feel lighter and happier. 

2. What did you learn from the last 12 months? 

3. What are the 3 best business lessons learned in the last 12 months. Write them down and reflect.

4. What are the 3 best life lessons that the past 12 months have taught you?

Grab a pen and paper and answer these questions.  

Then, answer the same questions not just for the last 12 months, but for the last 10 years.

What can you celebrate?  

What did you learn?

I’m sure  you will see  that by going through that divorce you realized that as hard as it was (and still may be) you are surviving, possibly even thriving.  

You realize that the business deals that fell through taught you how to do things better the next time.  Or, that maybe entrepreneurship isn’t for you.  

The job you lost helped you realize how much quality time was stolen from your family but because you lost your job you decided to begin your side gig and you are now able to earn money AND be home with your kids.  

The “diet” that you started and stopped, the gym membership that you don’t use enough taught you that you have a desire to improve your health and that you just need to be more consistent with your habits in order to see the results you’ve been wanting. 

The learning is in the journey. 

The learning is in the losses.

The learning is in the challenges.

When a sport team wins how much time do they spend reflecting on their performance? On what could be better? 

However, when a team loses, they take the time to look for the lessons.

The lessons are more important than the accolades. It gives us a place to grow from. 

Doing this exercise changed things for me. I have learned so much this past decade. I have grown as a person, as a wife, a mom, daughter, sister and friend. I FEEL the difference. I made progress. And I am reminded that this is just the beginning.

I encourage you to take a few minutes before you set your goals for the new year AND for the next decade and celebrate you and all of the greatness in you!

Celebrate the learning, growing and even failing that you did. 

Lift your chin, throw your shoulders back and strut your way into this next year and decade like you own it.  Because you do!