Holiday Wishes & Thoughts on Gratitude
This is a special newsletter, it’s the last chat we're having this year (2023), so I want to make it count!
First & foremost:
I'M GRATEFUL FOR YOU!
Starting a newsletter has been on my list since I started my business. It took me a year and a half to get it started, but I've been loving to share the six months and I'd like to thank you so much for following along in my journey!
This time of year is always flooded with reflection. For me, those reflections used to be wrought with self-critical improvements that would be analyzed for New Year Goals. But over the past couple years I've been diving into a different tradition of reflection – intentionally making space to hit the pause button and take a deep dive into my year with a mindset of gratitude.
So, picture this: I’m sipping my tea this week, reflecting on the goals I set at the beginning of 2023 and reminiscing.
The adventures, experiments, learnings, mishaps, achievements, and all the moments that made me pause and go, “Whoa, that was something!” It's like flipping through a mental photo album—each page packed with experiences, some smooth sailing, some unexpected twists - a rollercoaster ride worth remembering.
For this year, in addition to my professional and personal goals, I added something new: Words of Intention. Basically intentionally chosen words of focus for my year. My two words of intention this year were “Ease” & “Flow” - and boy do I feel like I achieved that compared to where I was at the beginning of this year! As I reviewed my goals I started to realize how far I’d come - I thought about challenges that gave way to opportunities that I never would have encountered, or mishaps that cultivated new learnings and approaches.
From updating my internal processes, to starting a monthly newsletter and posting on LI every week, to hitting my first 6-figure year after launching almost 2 years ago! There’s so much to be grateful for! To my surprise, I made progress and even exceeded many of my goals for 2023! Of course there are learnings being integrated - this is an evolution! I am also holding space for how proud I am of my own growth - huge shift from past years! And if feels good! We all deserve to celebrate our wins!
Speaking of which, I’d love to share with you the story of one of my clients. An executive leader, overwhelmed by the demands of a new project, embraced a daily gratitude practice.
At first, it was a little difficult for him because pausing meant giving more time to think over the things that stressed him out. But slowly, and with practice, he started to look at the silver lining in each situation. For every negative, he found even the smallest positive. Whether it was his morning coffee or a good conversation with a colleague or the time he gave himself to read his book, or the walk he took on a break.
It was a game-changer. He found it easier to see the positives because that’s what he was focused on. He gained resilience and amidst deadlines and pressures, he found moments of calm and clarity, allowing him to make decisions with newfound ease and confidence. Now, he swears by this practice!
