New Year's Resolutions 2020 Edition

It is hard to believe 2021 is almost here. 2021 comes with a lot of hope, but we also continue to live with uncertainty. I don’t know about you, but I am sick of uncertainty. I want to know when we will be able to hug our parents again, when our kids can go back to school in person and when I can sit in my favorite coffee shop. 

Given how much is still up in the air, I am proposing we perform a year-end celebration and preparation that helps provide a little comfort and excitement even in uncertain times. 

First the celebration: I am taking a wonderful course called Tend with Mara Glatzel and she encouraged us to think about what we could celebrate from 2020 and I encourage you to do the same. Here is my list.  Now, go make yours…

1. Staying informed and not putting my head in the sand about Covid. I stayed on top of the latest recommendations.. If the scientists made a suggestion, I followed it. I dove right in, even thought it was sometimes scary, and I am very proud of that.

2. My husband and I tackled the Covid crisis together. Oftentimes in our marriage, one of us is more nervous than the other. But this time, my husband and I had a united front for Covid and that made things much much easier.

3. I adapted my morning routine. One of the biggest effects of quarantine life was that I had to rethink my morning routine. I am a morning person. One of those annoying people who can jump out of bed (as long as coffee is waiting). But it is also the time of day where I get my best work done. Before Covid I went to the same coffee shop, after I dropped my son off at school, to work. But that was no longer an option. I have had to find a way to maximize my mornings without the coffee shop. It is not the same, but I have found a spot in my house that is an effective alternative. I will be running back to that coffee shop though when it is safe for me to do so.

4. I started a newsletter! I have always sent out a newsletter seasonally, but shortly after Covid hit, I decided to do a newsletter more regularly in an attempt to help people find jobs in the changing (and depressing)  job market. It felt satisfying to provide support to people who were having a hard time and, as an added bonus, it made me a better coach because I stayed current.

5. I have read and read and read and read. Not only did I stay informed by reading the latest news about the virus, I read a ton of fiction too. I found that reading fiction brought my blood pressure down. I know I was lucky because so many people told me they could not focus on reading during this uncertain time. But for me it was life-changing. Goodreads allowed me to find community with my reading as well. I love seeing what my friends are reading and to always have a list of books I wanted to read at the ready.

6. I enrolled in a nine month online course called Tend. When I read the description, I knew it was what I needed. I jumped in and I am so happy I did.  If you are not following @MaraGlatzel on Instagram. Go follow her now.

So What’s next? How can the list of celebrations help inform your next steps? What are some new goals you have for the future? What makes sense given the uncertainty we still have but also the hope? What are areas you want to challenge yourself? What are things you want to do to care for yourself? What are ways you have handled this time that you want to hold on to? What are ways you have responded that you want to let go of? Here are a few of mine:

1. Having spent nine months inside my house, I have gotten a great idea on how to reconfigure one of the rooms we have not been using as well as we could. My thought is to turn it into a library/office/peloton/yoga space. I can’t wait to get started on that! I booked an appointment with the wonderful Sarah Gee--follow her on Instagram @sarahgeeinteriors, you will not regret it.

2. I am going to continue reading. I have a lineup of books I am ready to dive into.

3. I am going to continue my gratitude texting I have been doing with my daughter, sister and niece for the past couple months. It is the gift that keeps on giving beyond my wildest expectations

4. Adapt and develop my newsletter. As the times change, the needs of my readers and clients change and I am excited to see how it morphs and develops over 2021.

5. Move into the next segment of the course Tend that I am participating in and see what it reveals about my needs and wants going forward.

6. Begin to picture a post-covid world and imagine the joy in the small moments that we have had to give up that we once took for granted. 

2021 is full of hope, healing and transformation. Let your imagination run wild.

For more help imagining and planning for your future, schedule a one-hour free consultation to learn more about my coaching practice.