Well here we are wrapping up another year. Preparing to close the door on 2016, in preparation to welcome in 2017. I love this time of year and not because it’s typically the time of year where we are pressured to make a list of unrealistic goals and promises to ourselves. You know, the kind of goals that end up on next year’s list too. No, I love this time of year because it affords me the space to reflect on the big picture of what has happened over the course of a year. It also helps me create a snapshot of where I am because of the previous year. The whole reflecting process encourages me to continue on my journey with a sense of purpose, gratitude and excitement for what lies before me.
2016 for me was a year of planting some pretty big seeds in my business and having some important aha’s about myself personally. Without intentionally setting out to – I wrote my heart out. I created a massive amount of content for The Huffington Post, for my website and for a number of other heart-centered platforms I get to share my work on. This content is now getting re-shared on new platforms like Arianna Huffington’s Thrive Global.
What I realized for sure, is that writing is my method I use to make sense of the world before me and connect deeper to my truth. I write from my heart and I write what I am learning about, so the process always feels rich and worthwhile.
I had some really big learning in 2016 both personally and professionally. The highlights include:
1) Live From the Inside, Out
There is no need to search outside of myself for answers on how to live my best life – all of the answers and guidance comes from inside. When we trust in our inner spirit and inner guide, we will always take the path that leads to our highest purpose in life.
2) Own Your Title With Pride
I am a mompreneur and I am Damn Proud of that! Being a mom comes first and foremost and I have finally put good boundaries in place to protect my time. I now see that the many hats I wear and gifts I give to my family makes me a superhero. I am in a place where I can accept and own that title as being the most important and worthwhile thing I will do in my life. I believe I can do anything in my business because I now see and understand my worth and work ethic – plus, did I mention I (like all Moms) wear many hats and therefore know for sure that I will continue to create success in my business – it is a matter of energy in and energy out.
3) Savor the Process of Taking ‘One Step and Day at a Time’
Tomorrow is a new day, so don’t try to fit the entire world into this one day. For the first time in well EVER – I hit my wall. It happened around springtime. I was wearing my many hats as CEO of our household, while creating a lot of content in my role as a writer. I was also finishing my coach certification through the International Coaching Federation (ICF), had just launched my book Fall in Love With Your Life, One Week at a Time and was working on marketing the book. On top of that, I was over my head creating and designing an E-course based on the book (the backend code and everything). I shot my own videos and was working day and night to complete it. I was getting minimal sleep but was determined to push through.
Now looking back, I am not sure why I was in such a hurry to push myself so hard. But hitting my wall helped me to put life in perspective and to re-evaluate how I do things. I realized this is how I was doing life for most of my life – pushing myself. I finally exhausted myself, and anyone who knows me well knows that this is a hard thing to do – I am pretty determined!
After hitting my wall, I literally spent the entire summer at the beach. I was either in the ocean, or staring at the ocean with my kids and with my dear friend Amanda and her kids. I did as little as possible in my business – writing weekly but that was about it. I went to sleep every night at a decent time and very slowly, bit by bit – I began to feel like myself again.
After I began to feel human, I vowed to myself that there is no reason for me to ever push myself like that again. I didn’t get further ahead. By the time I finished creating the E-Course, I was so burnt out I no longer had any excitement or joy to market it from my heart in the way it deserved. Not only that, I was not fun for my family to be around and I started to question why I was even in this business.
What I learned from hitting my wall is that my work, which is intended to be in service to others, should never come at the expense of my health and happiness – it should always come from a place of joy. And this place of joy requires that I am rested, balanced and happy in my heart and life. Enough said – I now get what I can get done in a day, and very happily and gratefully move what didn’t get done to the next day. I do not feel overwhelmed by guilt or a sense of being incomplete.
I am always in process and taking care of myself comes first and foremost. This is especially important if I want to continue to be in service to my family and my business. With this new way of being in place, it is funny how things are coming together smoothly. I am experiencing the magic of life again and I feel a renewed sense of excitement in all things. I even just finished a book proposal I fully enjoyed creating. I got to collaborate with my special team I am blessed to work with and created a book proposal I am so stoked about and excited to dive into to write. The best part – I submitted it to Hay House after taking their writer’s workshop – EEEK!
I am so grateful for all of the bumps, stumbles and enormous wall that opened my eyes and heart in 2016. I am equally grateful for the learning and interactions with all of the incredible people in my life. I feel blessed to be able to give and receive support from my loved ones and community.
2016, you weren’t easy but I loved every bit of learning and experience you gave me.
Wow! See how good it feels to reflect?! Now with all of that good ‘reflecting energy’ in mind, comes my overall theme for my 2017 and my wish for each of you for your 2017 – Let’s BE LIGHT.
- Be light in our worries.
- Be light in our steps forward, trust we will get to where we are meant to go without pushing.
- Be light in our reactions to others and in response to obstacles that come up.
- Be light in our heart, this makes us more accessible to play and fun – and isn’t that what life is for?
- Be the light that you are, this is the greatest gift you can give yourself and everyone around who is blessed to be in your beautiful light.
Happy 2017 and so much love to you all. Xo EM
