Last year when I took stock of how the year went, all I could think about were all the ways in which I didn't succeed or meet some of the lofty goals I had set for myself. It was a pretty dreary way of looking back at the year, and to tell you the truth, I am not sure why my usually optimistic self took the glass half empty approach. It left me feeling discouraged and depressed.
This past year for me was one of difficult changes, constant struggle with chronic pain, and significant losses in my personal life too. The way life happened outside of my control threw all my plans into disarray, and I really didn't have a chance to work on anything except for survival in 2008. Instead of focusing on all the hopes, dreams and accomplishments that weren't fulfilled - I am choosing to review my year in terms of gratitude, appreciation for myself, for those who stood by me and supported me when things were really rough, for all the abundance that exists in my life. Making this list acknowledging all the wonderful people in my life and all the really loving and kind ways that I took care of myself despite the challenges was really empowering.
Even if your year was not as challenging as mine, even if it was just ok or even if it was absolutely fantastic - I encourage you to step back from accomplishment thinking and review your year through a lens of gratitude and appreciation. It feels really good to do it, and it's a really nice way to reconnect with the spirit of this holiday season.
about Joanna
- Joanna Scaparotti
- Beverly, MA, United States
- Joanna's passion is creating mindful entrepreneurship and soul-centered authentic businesses in the wellness industry that seamlessly integrate values such as abundance, service and wellness with the freedom of flexible lifestyles and the benefits of creative community collaboration.
1 comment:
Hey Joanna,
Your post made me think of something I've been doing lately--making a list, once a month, of everything I've accomplished over the course of the month. (I do this mid-month, so it's a sort of review of the past 30 days rather than a calendar-month thing.)
I include all kinds of achievements--personal, financial, professional, etc. Anything specific that I've done that has improved my mood or my quality of life goes on the list. Some recent examples were getting my first PayPal payment for a tarot session, baking some amazing muffins for my coworkers, and following up with some former clients to check in with them (and lay the groundwork for some future sessions).
I get such a rush from doing this--it may sound silly, but we do accomplish so much and so rarely give ourselves credit for it; actually taking the time to ackowledge our achievements is very liberating and energizing.
Oh, and hand-writing the list in a notebook works best--that way you can see the page filling up, and have a record to look back on later.
: )
Happy New Year!
-Anya
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