Happy New Year Darlings!
This new year has gotten off to a bit of a slow start for me… A big part of me is totally okay with that and the perfectionist ambitious part of me is not okay with that but life is doing life things so here we are. Through connecting with friends, clients and a lot of the close-knit coaching communities I'm in, I've been getting behind the scenes updates that folks are sick, feeling sad, grieving, overwhelmed and exhausted so if this is you too, just know you’re not alone and I am here to support you!
If you’re on the opposite spectrum at the moment, yay, good for you! My advice is to enjoy it and make the most of it because, as we know, life is 50/50 so there will be some sort of downturn and you’ll be glad you did everything you could when you had the opportunity.
The reality of this Gregorian calendar ‘new year’ is that it happens while we (in the northern hemisphere) are in the midst of WINTER when our bodies naturally want to do less and essentially just NEST. So if that’s been the vibe in your life, don't beat yourself up and allow yourself to surrender, even if just for an hour, three hours, half a day or a couple of days – it’s OKAY!
Our bodies have so much intuitive wisdom so it’s best to listen and choose rest instead of ignoring it, pushing through and then being forced to rest.
I listened to some of my favorite podcasts to prepare to set goals and intentions for this year while I was recovering from being sick on and around New Year’s Day. In order to be of service to my community and clients I decided to extract the tools shared on these podcasts so that’s what you’ll find in this blog post, yay!
Kara Loewentheil, J.D. and Master Certified Life Coach is the host of the amazing “Unf*ck Your Brain” podcast. I listened to episode 241 again to do a personal and relationship review of 2022. Kara says you can do these for yourself, for your relationship, for your journey as a professional/entrepreneur or with a friend for milestones like anniversaries, birthdays, new years, etc.
This review helped me realize how far I’ve come in this entrepreneurial journey and refocus on what’s truly important for myself, my growing business and the interplay between my personal and professional lives... instead of the noise coming in on what I think "I should be doing" or what goals I "should" be setting.
It also made for interesting conversation between my partner and me as we got to celebrate our relationship growth, got clear on what we enjoyed, what we want to stop/do less of, and what we want to experience more of in the next 12 months. I didn’t follow the exact recipe Kara shared in the podcast but it was still a worthwhile effort in terms of doing it for the first time with my beau.
UFYB 241: 4 Questions for a Yearly Review
What were my favorite moments/themes from last year? What did I love about last year? What kind of growth happened over the last year? Things you enjoyed.
What do I like that I’m already doing?
For inter-relational dynamics, this could be how you’re communicating, solving problems, hosting dinner parties, traveling etc. Basically everything that’s already going well, not what you want to start doing. You’re already doing it and staying pretty much the same.
What do I want to stop or do/have less of?
For relationships, think of how you’re showing up in the relationship, your own behavior, e.g. stop being so critical, stop saying yes to every invitation, or stop doing my own bookkeeping. Stuff you just want to stop doing.
What do you want to add or experience more of?
You may already be doing it but you want to do more compared to the baseline. Think of ‘what kind of life do I wanna create for myself?’ And be curious about it, ask yourself why you are adding it to the list to ensure the intention behind it is for your highest good not some societal pressure/expectation/fears
You can listen to the episode wherever you listen to podcasts by searching UFYB 241: Four Questions For A Yearly Review.
Another helpful resource I found was on Jay Shetty’s ‘On Purpose’ podcast on the episode released on 12/16/2022 titled ‘7 Powerful Questions to Successfully Reflect on 2022 & End the Year with Confidence’.
Here are the questions he shares with us so we can take a moment to acknowledge how far we’ve come & what challenges/surprises we overcame so we can become aware of the tools we already have in our life toolbox as we embark on this journey of growth, expansion and healing.
What is one challenge that you’ve overcome in 2022?
What’s a surprise you dealt with?
What is something you bought this year that you love?
What’s the best book/podcast you read/listened to?
What are your blind spots for 2023?
What made you the happiest last year?
Who’s the person you couldn’t have gotten through this year without?
Let me know which questions you did, what you learned about yourself and how this resonated with you.
I am here to support you as you set your goals, priorities and intentions for this year and beyond. Schedule a call to connect with me and get clear on what you want to create for your one wild and precious life!
Sending you so much love, blessings and all the good vibes for a magical and fulfilling 2023.
With Gratitude, Vero M. Estrada
Life Coach & Retreat Host
Hello@VeroEstrada.com
PS: I have TONS to share about Big Dream Consulting's new opportunities to work with me as a result of a successful crowdfunding campaign (woohoo!) I'm going to save that for another post & email because I don't have the bandwidth to do that right at this moment, so stay tuned for those updates cuties!
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