Lessons From 2021
It's wintertime here in the northern hemisphere: a time when things slow down & nature comes to rest (yes, even despite the very human hustle & bustle of the holiday season).
I believe it's an incredibly important time for we humans to reconnect with the slower time of the natural flow -- to find quietude and time to reflect on the year that's coming to completion.
That can be a short daily practice, a day or weekend you claim for yourself, or an entire vacation devoted to coming to completion and integrating all you've done this year.
Last year I shared my reflections from 2020 in a two-part blog series (links to part 1 and part 2). Here are my first reflections on what was powerful for me in 2021; perhaps this will inspire some rest & reflection of your own this holiday season!
Lesson 1: Simplify
This was my theme word for the year, and I intently put it to the test all year. I radically pared down the projects & learning I took on during the year, and focused purposefully on the basics of work, rest, family, connection & self-care. I shared a lot throughout the year in my bi-monthly newsletter about the tremendous results, energy & spaciousness this simplification of my life provided me. It was THE top reason I'm exiting 2021 as enthusiastic & energetic as I began the year.
Lesson 2: Active Rest is Key Self-Care
At the end of a full day, mainly my System wants to go home, veg out on the couch, and stare at the walls for awhile. That stuff works, sorta. This year I really began to connect the dots between my overall state and "active rest" activities -- really anything different than what I've been doing all day that can activate a bit of energy & refresh me to close the day. It was a total game changer for my sense of well-being (even though I've had a lifetime of physical practices!).
So, some exercise, a long walk, a chat and card game with family...all sorts of things to reconnect & reboot my System and not just zone out. Active rest flushes cortisol out while refreshing the neurochemicals that make you feel good (serotonin, dopamine, endorphins, norepinephrine) and is a must-have for those looking to level up their lives.
Lesson 3: Trust...plain & simple
A simple one, but a massive learning edge for the part of me that feels like “I” am the one that has to make every single thing happen in my life. Simplifying and focusing on fewer, high-quality actions this year pushed a LOT of buttons I have around what I generally think it takes to manifest the visions I have for myself. It really required me to rest into trust in myself, the people I have around me, the course I'd chosen, and that results would arrive.
By another name, this is “faith.” I didn’t grow up in a faith-based family or system though, I grew up learning to be self-reliant (sometimes in extremis). “If you want something done right you have to do it yourself” was a family ethic.
Instead of continuing to rely on that narrative, I shifted to “I trust myself and my skillfulness, I trust the people in my life, I trust the Universe/the system I’m in that’s way bigger than me.” I began to embrace the notion that the system of Me and the systems I’m in are moving in rhythms that are their own and beyond my control and full comprehension.
As one of my favorite authors puts it, I’ve been working on “letting go of the tiller.” It’s been pretty radical.
Ultimately, re-learning how to trust myself, the process I’d created and, yes, the Universe, helped me stay open & in the present moment. Rather than responding to stressors from a place of tension & hustle energy (or even worry), it allowed more flow & creativity to be at the forefront of how I met each challenge and each day.
Lesson 4: Self Care Sets You Up to Show Up
Want to show up 100% every day? For your family, your work, your life's mission? Then you gotta put yourself in there first. Self care is what allows you to keep going, day-after-day, at as high a level as possible. And when your challenges get bigger, your self care regimen must increase along with them, not diminish as you trade more focus on tasks for time spent taking care of yourself.
Throughout 2021 I really turned the knobs up on self care. I worked hard and with focus during the time I devoted to work, and then showed up equally as fully for my self care. This practice left me refreshed and at the end of each week with the same level of energy & enthusiasm I began with.
Showing up 100% each & every day takes work, and new challenges require a new level of self care. More focus in this department helped me hit end-of-year in stride!
Lesson 5: "Where Focus Goes, Energy Flows"
Early in 2021 I really recalibrated my professional use of social media. I'd spent an excellent and highly productive 2 years working hard to build out my social media content & presence, and had some tremendous results from those efforts. And, my attention, focus & energy could get a bit scattered as a result. Some days I felt I gave more focus to my content creation & those results than to my actual practice. While that focus on social was organized to support my business, I found that over time I had actually had less to give to the clients and to the work that I was trying to support through social media! It was a tricky paradox.
So, I mainly dropped my content creation this year. A bit of a scary prospect given the landscape out there and what's become the norm for how service-based businesses & solopreneurs market ourselves. But, "simplify" was the theme, so I went for it. My focus shifted to the simple basics I've mentioned above.
You can probably guess the results by now. This was a HUGE component of my success this year. I recaptured an incredible amount of focus & energy that in turn got to be redirected into my client work, into myself, and into my family. A huge win!
So what were your Lessons From 2021? Message me or comment below and let me know!
And, my very best to you for a peaceful, reflective, and deeply relaxing holiday season!!