Stepping in to the New Year

As I step into the new year, I always evaluate where I am, who I am and what I have accomplished before I create my goals for the coming year.

Here are some of the questions I use to evaluate my life and work:

How am I different than I was this time last year?

This time last year I was very focused on business building.  I was excited about possibilities for the new year and spent many hours planning.  While I am at a similar place this year being excited about taking my business forward, I am also taking more time to be creative and social which gives me greater balance.

What lessons did I learn?

Through various events that took place this year, I learned greater balance and self care, patience and resilience.

What have I been resisting?

How much my connections, my family and friendships matter to me.  Of course I always valued my relationships but often put work (or my to do list) first since accomplishment is also what matters to me.

As an introvert, it is often very easy for me to be content by myself which is nice but not all I crave.  This past year I spent more time with family, more time with friends and our neighbors and more time with groups of women and even got my husband in the mix with some couples nights.

As you step into the new year, how would you answer these same questions for yourself?

Dessert First

I love dessert and often will eat it first as part of my meal 🙂  This is especially true at holiday time.  The thought of eating dessert first also got me thinking about “dessert” in another context – as anything that brings us that sense of in the moment joy.

Joyful activities are often put on the back burner while we handle all of the “important” tasks we must finish first (eating our meal before we get to our dessert).  Does that make sense?  Certainly.  But is there any harm in putting some joy first?     A joy-filled activity can be a short one that can fit into your busy life of “main meal” activities.

Just like eating dessert, moderation is what we are aiming for.  Do I usually eat a whole slice of cake before my meal?  No.  Do I savor one piece of dark chocolate (or one holiday cookie) while I’m preparing my dinner.  I often do!  One piece of chocolate – or 15-20 minutes of a joyful activity can bring a new focus to your other tasks, it may even help you feel better about them!

What would your life be like if you occasionally (or more than occasionally) ate “dessert” first?

Happy Holidays!!

 

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Building Confidence

I delivered a seminar yesterday to a wonderful group of women on the topic of Building Confidence.  Here are some questions I asked the group – and their responses….

Where does confidence come from?

Faith, experience, values, beliefs, morals and your support system

What does confidence look, sound and feel like?

A presence, a strong open posture, an energetic enthusiastic tone of voice, positive words, relaxed, calm

We also talked about several ways to build confidence, these included:

  • Stretching out of your comfort zone often – in small steps
  • Trusting yourself to make choices and decisions, then accepting them
  • Celebrating your achievements, recognize what you have done (not just what’s left to do)
  • Act “as if” you already are confident – “wear” the confidence you have in some situations to the situations you need greater confidence.
  • Shift your language (and thoughts) from “I can’t” to “I CAN”!

How do you build your own confidence?