Hey it’s Monday and I have a message for you that you may not be used to hearing at the start of a new week.
Instead of running wild every second of this week, to maximize all you want to accomplish by the end of the year, I invite you to clear a bit of space to slow down.
Yes - I said it...just days before Christmas -- Slow down and give yourself a few moments to reflect on the year you’ve just come through.
You may only want to forget this year and leave it behind you, I get it. But this was a year that you lived. All the effort, the time you’ve invested, and experiences you’ve come through were a part of your precious life that you’ll never get back, so don’t you think it’s worth taking it all in?
This time of reflection may be emotional for you, depending on all that happened for you this year. Or maybe it was a better year than you expected. Or maybe, like most of us, if you actually take space to look back, you’ll see that it was a mixture of good stuff and tough stuff.
Either way, you get to look at the strength and tenacity you’ve developed this year, flexing with ever-changing ways of living, pivoting your life, work or business, and learning a whole new way of life!
In the culture we live in, forward motion and success are the things we’re socialized to focus on. The struggle, the disappointments, and the times we’ve stumbled are often swept under the rug as a result.
But those dark times have so many lessons in them, don’t you think? This is where we can trace a pattern to habits or decisions that weren’t the best for us, and hopefully learn from them. This not only helps us hopefully avoid repeating the scenario, it can also help us share the lesson for others to learn from.
And again, while this year was not what anyone expected, there were still good moments, times of growth and unexpected wins.
But you’ll only see these if you look back for them.
Let me give you a few of my mixed reflections of the past year to get your memory flowing:
I had set some intentions for 2020 to include, more in-person meetings and events, hot yoga classes with friends, more regular social gatherings, and travel that included a 3-week trip to Portugal with my family, including a week of camp at a prestigious European futbol club for my son.
I remember the excitement I felt as I wrote out my plans, and the research Peter and I did as we planned our accommodations and excursions in Lisbon and the Algarve. It was a cold winter at the time, so we were extra motivated. We got it all booked and weeks later, the world shut down.
Around the same time, as I mentioned in my podcast trailer, my father passed away in Asia, at the end of February. I was not at all expecting to be dealing with forgeign consulates and government representatives throughout the Spring. And nothing prepares us - any of us for the loss of a parent.
So like many people, my social calendar opened up dramatically.
Maybe your time became even more pressed with needing to transition your office and/or your kids' schooling to your home. You may have needed to take on even more work and responsibility this year.
As I look back on the good things that happened in my life this year, in spite of some sad and disappointing events, here’s what I see:
Gratitude for a deepened faith practice, gratitude to look back on the good memories with my father, that I got have Peter and the boys at home with not too much difference in our daily routine since they were already home educated, an easy start up for virtual high school, my youngest’s guitar lessons went virtual with no delay, my oldest improved his soccer freestyling skills with practices on hold, both boys had closer connection to each other, I did some back office upgrades to my website and systems that I never had time for, I planned out and launched my podcast, finding interviewing guests so accessible, since they were happy for the connection and home available in their home offices, a last minute cottage get away to a quiet northern ontario town, another few socially distanced visits with friends that may not have been possible otherwise, 2 walks a day on my own and with my family, and so many more things, but most of all: Space. Less rushing and more focus on what to be grateful for. Because it’s easy to miss those things when you’re too busy.
Remembering all of this makes me take a deep breath. It reminds me that the days go by fast and if we’re not intentional with how we use them, in spite of what’s going on in the outer world, years will just pass us by and we’ll feel like we missed our life.
Savoring the experiences of each year allows you to relive the good memories and be reminded of lessons learned. It can be truly transformational if you make it a practice.
So I invite you to open your calendar, your journal, or your photo app and look back on your year. Take in all that you experienced. See what comes up for you. It might also help you decide what you’d like your focus to be in the coming year.
As you do, I’m praying God’s best blessings on you and yours.
See you next time.