I like to spend the last week of the year reflecting on the year that just passed and setting goals for the new year.
As I reflect on 2020, I have to acknowledge that I was able to achieve few of the goals I wrote down last December, including placing 30 professionals (we placed 12), traveling to Poland to complete the Live for the Living (a bike ride from Auschwitz to Krakow that commemorates that Jewish life survived the Holocaust), or fitting into a size 8.
However, I do need to acknowledge that there were a number of silver linings that 2020 unexpectedly bought with it, including:
- 6 extra months with my college kids who returned from Madrid in March.
- 60 days at the Jersey shore where I could walk on the boardwalk 6 miles each day and even spotted whales and dolphins!
- Newfound time to write 40,000 words for a book aimed at young professionals—Your Fairy Job Mentor’s Secrets for Success—and to tape 30 episodes for our Big Lies Shattered podcast.
- The opportunity to integrate my Institute for Integrative Nutrition Health Coach training into 24 Well-being webinars
The thing I am most proud of, which is still very much a work-in-progress, was my ability to manage my mind and choose to focus on the silver linings as opposed to all the uncertainty and fear that was rampant throughout 2020.
When people ask me how I wrote a book during these challenging times, I tell them that getting up early every morning to write gave me purpose and a sense of control over what I could contribute, despite all the things I had no control over. Writing about what young professionals needed and I could teach them was my lifesaver. Once I identified this silver lining, It turned it into a golden opportunity.
Just like you, I am happy to say goodbye to 2020, but before we do, I want you to take a moment to reflect and identify:
- Any silver linings that you found in the midst of a pandemic. Is there anything you found is now a must in your life that you want to incorporate into 2021 and beyond?
- What you most look forward to post-pandemic that you will never take for granted again. For me, it’s spending time with people I can hug and Iive music.
As we look forward to a hopeful 2021, I encourage you to take bit of time out this week to identify what you want in the new year. The clearer you are about what will make it a good year for you, the more you will be able to take advantage of the opportunities for growth and fulfillment that will arise.
Here is a link to our 2021 Goal Setting Packet. I hope you find this exercise of value. Please feel free to share it with others.
I wish you a New Year that is filled with great health, joy and success. If there is any way I can help you achieve your goals for the new year, please let me know!