As 2020 is coming to an end, I wanted to share with you some of my reflections on this past year. I always like to do reflections at the end of the year because it really makes you look at things in a different perspective. We can get caught up in the hustle & stress of daily life, making it difficult to see the big picture.
This reflection seems to be especially important for this year.
I know this has been a hard year. It turned into a year that nobody could have ever imagined or prepared for. It was a year of loss & hardships, forcing everyday life to be sadly disrupted.
This was also the year that I launched my Mindset & Confidence Coaching business. It was something that I was so excited to launch because this business encompasses everything that I’ve ever wanted in a career. As a result of launching this business this year, I have been able to work with a handful of women & learned so much about what people are going through. It has opened my eyes in ways that I never thought was possible.
Related: How to know if it’s time to hire a life coach
While this was a year of hurt for most people, I want to try to shine some light on some of the positive things this year has brought. As a Mindset Coach, I like to focus on processing emotions, releasing them & preparing to move forward. It takes some work & being able to see situations in different perspectives, but I think it’s incredibly powerful & VERY important.
Related: How to Handle Stress & Overwhelm, Adjusting Your Mindset When Bad Things Happen
Throughout this post, I’m breaking down what this year has taught me. Process this post as you would like & what is most helpful for you. My hope is that it will help you see things in a different perspective & help inspire & motivate you to relate it to your own life.
Related: Preparing for the new year
Remember, we can’t control what has happened. What has happened this year has very much been out of our control. What has happened has happened & the best place to look now is forward.
How are we going to move forward from this?
That choice is up to you.
Let’s dig into this post & start seeing this year in a different perspective. <3
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We can accomplish anything when we all work together
First, I wanted to mention how amazed I am at how much we have all worked together to get through this year for the most part.
When you think about it, prior to this year- before all the chaos started happening, we were all so engulfed in our own lives. It was about getting through our own days, focused on the hustle & minding our own business for the most part.
Related: What I’ve learned during lockdown
When the pandemic really hit, things got shut down & a lot of people started struggling for many reasons, I saw others go to great lengths to provide support to those who needed it most. It has been amazing to see communities come together & work together! While this year has been hard, it has really shown me the true power of what can happen when we help each other.
It truly is amazing what can happen when we all work together & help each other out! <3
The importance of shopping small & local
Another thing that I want to emphasize before I really dig into this post is how important it is to shop small & local. I’ll be completely honest with you… Before this year, I never really thought twice about shopping at large companies. It seemed easy, convenient & just never thought much about it.
Now more than ever, it’s important to be cautious about where you are spending your money. When you spend your money at small, local businesses, you are supporting an actual person & a dream. As a small business owner myself, I see the hard work that goes into a business. Not to mention the quality of the products/services tends to be MUCH better.
Now, I’m making a bigger effort to make sure I am supporting small, local business rather than the convenience of larger companies!
How to not be so rigid
The most important thing that this year has taught me how to do is how to not be so rigid, which is something that I’ve been wanting to figure out for a long time. I’ve always been routine-oriented & VERY rigid with my routine. When I’m in a routine, everything is great! When my routine is disrupted in any way, I have a really hard time finding my groove again. It’s stressful & usually takes some time to get a new routine figured out.
Like everyone, this year has completely knocked me out of my known routine. Multiple times. Every time I thought I thought I was getting into a new routine, something else would happen to disrupt that routine.
Related: 5 Tips For Adjusting To Change When You Don’t Handle Change Well, A Step-by-Step Guide to Getting Your Motivation Back
I’m sure the same thing has happened for you. For everyone.
What this year has forced me to do is to be FLEXIBLE with my schedule. To be able to allow myself to adjust when things happen, which is incredibly important! It was hard to make the adjustments at first, but as the year went on, I’ve learned how to adjust.
What I’ve learned is that being rigid has actually held me back in many ways. The rigidity made me look at things with tunnel vision, which made me miss all kinds of opportunities & being able to see opportunities that are actually helpful.
Not being so rigid has allowed me to experience life differently & experience it in different ways. I’m sure it has done the same thing for you in some ways as well!
Being forced out of your routine can be a good thing
This goes along with the the first point, but I want to put great emphasis on this because I’m sure a lot of people can relate! I truly believe that being forced out of my routine has been one of the best things that could of happened to me and my business. It forced me out of this narrow thinking, to get creative & open to allowing flexibility in my schedule. The flexibility has been one of the biggest reasons for growth in my business.
I eventually got to a point this year, where I accepted the fact that my routine was probably going to change & I had to be open & prepared to allow my routine to be disrupted. My routine being disrupted has honestly allowed me try out different things & not stress myself out about NEEDING to have things done a certain way.
I think the most prominent example of this is with my early morning workouts at the gym. I had gotten in the routine of going to the gym at 5am every weekday. If there was a day when I wanted to sleep in, I wouldn’t work out for the day. It was either get it done super early, or it’s not happening.
Related: Why I made the transition to 5am workouts, 3 Tips for Transitioning to Early Morning Workouts, Finding balance in your life / Creating a balanced lifestyle
When the gyms closed, I felt completely lost. But, I was also FORCED to make a decision- To be flexible & try new things or continue to complain about something that is out of my control. It took some time, but I was able to get myself over that. I am now able to get the gym at any time of the day that works for me & what I have going on that day.
My routine being disrupted has allowed me to be flexible, which I’m honestly so grateful for!
How to be open to learning & growth opportunities
I talk about this often, but this is SO IMPORTANT! This year made this even more clear to me & has really opened me up to seeing things in a whole different perspective.
Things got weird this year. Really weird. Some things happened that maybe you thought that nothing positive could come from it.
But, when those things happen & you aren’t sure what to do next, it’s important to ask yourself, “What can I get from this?”
Related: Adjusting Your Mindset When Bad Things Happen
While things have gotten weird & you might not prefer the temporary situation, you have probably been able to learn how to navigate a situation that you never thought you would be put in. You’ve been able to adjust in a way that you never thought you would ever be able to do.
I know that I’ve learned a lot this year. I know that I’ve grown a lot this year. I’m even going to go as far to say that I believe I am coming out of this year in a completely different mindset & space that I was in going into this year.
While it was hard, I’ve learned so much. I know you might be feeling a bit defeated, but I encourage you to sit down & think about what this year has taught you & the growth you’ve made!
Your mindset truly is everything
I’ve said this before & now more than ever, I wholeheartedly believe this to be true. Your mindset can break you down or help you move forward.
You can either focus your energy on how horrible the situation is or you can ask yourself, “What can I learn from this?”
Related: How to improve your mindset
Yes, different people have been faced with different difficulties, but I believe that there’s nothing life can throw your way that you can’t handle. Yes, it’s difficult. It might take some time to get through it, but you have to believe that it is possible.
I’ve seen people be redirected to their true dream career path.
I’ve seen people lose their job but start a business they had never even thought about before.
Yes, some things are hard. Really freaking hard. But, your mindset is what is going to get you to the other side.
If you want some guidance on how to better be prepared to handle anything, I invite you to check out my Step-by-Step Guide to Handling Stress & Overwhelm!
In this guide, I take you through the entire process of handling stress & overwhelm, help you understand yourself better & provide you with the tools to create a plan of action that works for YOU so you can move forward! <3
I’ve been playing it small & safe
Here’s the thing… it’s so easy to get stuck in the comfort zone. Sometimes, it doesn’t even seem like the comfort zone, but it is. Even though something is a little bit uncomfortable, it might not be the extent to what you are truly capable of.
During this year, I found that even though I was taking some risks, I wasn’t doing everything that I could be doing. This year forced me out of alignment- out of everything I knew & forced me challenge myself in a way I never thought of before.
I realized that there is MORE. It’s a scary thing to realize because it means getting MORE out of my comfort zone, but that’s where growth happens!
If you are finding that things aren’t progressing the way you thought, think about if you are forcing yourself out of your comfort zone. Are you taking risky action often?
You might be surprised at what you are actually capable of! <3
I’m really freaking good at what I do
I mentioned this at the beginning of the post, but going into 2020, I launched a Mindset & Confidence Coaching business. This business is my dream of helping women love themselves unconditionally & show them that they can truly get the most out of life.
When I started working with women, getting on calls, I noticed that this work that I do is truly powerful.
Most of us have underlying beliefs about ourselves that are holding us back from taking the necessary steps to get the most out of life. When I started these calls, I found myself challenging these women to dig deep and uncover what is truly at the source of holding them back. It’s a process, but it works.
I’ve seen these women start to peel away at their limiting beliefs about themselves & start gaining confidence. I challenge them to face their fears so they can start believing in themselves.
It’s powerful, I love it & I’m really freaking good at it!
Don’t be afraid to push through your comfort zone & go after your dreams! I promise it is SO worth it.
I’m here if you need any support along the way!
If you are interested in learning more about my 1:1 coaching, invite you to check out my opportunities! Click here for more information on my 1:1 coaching opportunities! <3
>> click here to download my Ultimate Goal Setting & Planning guide
>> click here to learn more about my secret life changing check in system
>> click here to download my Step-by-Step Guide to Handling Stress & Overwhelm
>> click here to download my Self Care Planning Worksheet
>> click here to download my 50 journal prompts for self reflection & self discovery
Xx,
Jess
I love this so much 💗
thank you for the time, energy and passion you pour into your valuable content xoxo