It’s that time of year!
So many of you choose your own words for the year these days, and I loooooove hearing about them.
It’s also a delight to reflect on not only the past 12 months but the last few years, the journey of words I’ve been on.
Anyway, I thought I’d share a little reflection on last year (my word was grow), as well as introducing my word for 2020: believe.
Growing in 2019
In 2019, I wanted to grow: my business, my belly, my family, my integrity. You can read about my intentions here.
And I did grow, in lots of ways. I grew a tiny human. I grew in confidence, and I certainly grew in clarity. Something about becoming a mother has made me very clear on what I’m doing and what there isn’t room for, which is honestly pretty amazing.
What I couldn’t anticipate is how much 2019 would show me the depth of my own resilience. A lot happened in 2019, including a lot of hospital visits, and that required a lot of strength – strength I didn’t really know I had.
From a business point of view, I knew it would be challenging to grow my business in a profit / turnover sense while taking maternity leave. So my expectations weren’t exactly huge from that point of view. But I did grow my client list in the first half of the year, which is a key growth indicator for me: I want to help people in their businesses, and I did just that.
I still think about feeling good, feeling bad and feeling right in an atmosphere of growth. This phrase from Gretchen Rubin has really stuck with me, and I’m not done with the concept of growth at all. I think that’s one of the magic things about choosing a word: they stay with you beyond the year.
2020: the year of believe
Our beliefs influence our actions, consciously and unconsciously.
If I’ve learnt anything over the last few years, it’s that what we believe has a significant impact on what we achieve, how we feel and how we think about ourselves and our work.
This year, I’m ready to review and redefine my beliefs. I want to work in a way that’s aligned with what I truly believe, and I want to weed out some of the unhealthy beliefs that hold me back.
I want to do work that I really believe in. I want to share my beliefs openly, honestly, so that they reach the people who will find solace, inspiration, support in them.
And, at the simplest level, I want to believe in myself. I could do with some specific care in this area, especially as I shift into balancing work and motherhood.
I’ve started asking myself big questions, like “What do I believe in?”, “What do I believe about money, work, motherhood, creativity?” and “How would my to do list change if I believed in myself fully?”
And I’m loving getting started…
Using radical honesty to support this journey
While I was reflecting on the year past and the year ahead, the concept of radical honesty came springing out.
I think I have to be radically honest with myself, so that I can get to the bottom of my beliefs.
And I have to be radically honest about my beliefs and, well, pretty much everything as I get back into work, back into being The Jenny Pace.
It does feel a bit edgy. And to be clear, it’s not that I haven’t been honest in the past. It’s more like another stripping away of the layers that I might have been holding on to.
How’s your year (and word) going?
Have you chosen a word? Or made a resolution? Or set an intention? How’s it feeling to you?
I’d love to hear!
Until soon,
Jenny x
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PPS I have two coaching-mentoring spots available right now, for three or six sessions. Read more here and get in touch if you’d like support creating and achieving your business goals in 2020.
