Stepping Into 2025: A Tip to Help You Make the Most of It
It was a long and impressive list! A woman in a business group I belong to had posted her achievements for the year. She wanted to celebrate all that she’s accomplished and encouraged us to do the same. My first knee-jerk reaction was to start comparing myself to her list. That's a no-no. I was already being pretty hard on myself for not accomplishing an important goal I had for this year. I figured that writing out my list might make me feel even worse. Then, I got an intuitive nudge - "Write your list."
Isn't it funny how we can judge an entire year by how it feels right now at this moment? Before I wrote my list, I felt disappointed about 2024. There was a lot of hard work I put in that hasn't paid off - yet. Maybe you're feeling similar feelings? It's not just about business; I'm also talking about life in general. Perhaps you're finding yourself at the end of 2024 not having accomplished certain goals or dreams. Maybe you've been trying to heal from something but are still deep in that process. On the other hand, maybe this has been one of the most incredible years ever. If that's the case, congratulations! That's something to celebrate!
I'm usually so focused on what I want to achieve in the future that I rarely take a moment to look back and celebrate what I’ve already done. I decided to listen to that intuitive nudge. I sat down and I made my list. It took me a while to come up with my accomplishments, especially since I couldn't remember much of the earlier part of the year. Thankfully, I remembered I had something I could refer to. It took me less than 30 minutes to write out my accomplishments from 2024. Surprisingly, my list was much longer and more impressive than I thought it would be.
As a business practice, I have weekly CEO dates with myself. I look at what I can celebrate from the past week, what moved the needle, and how I’m feeling about my business at that moment. As I was making my achievements list, I went through 52 summaries to see what I could add to my accomplishments for the year. I’d forgotten that I had actually achieved some really big goals: I launched a membership, revised my website, ran a BETA, added a new service, I guested on a podcast for the first time, I published with Mystic Minds on Medium for the first time, and I shifted gears with my vision.
While going through my summaries, what also caught my attention was how I was feeling each week. There were many entries where I saw that I felt frustrated and was ready to give up. The fact that I kept taking action, instead of closing the door and throwing away the key, is worthy of celebration. There were also entries where I was feeling elated. It's a great reminder that we feel all the feels in this game called Life.
Having a CEO date with myself has been one of the best practices I've implemented. It's helped me stay on track and keep taking action. Whether you are in business or not, I encourage you to have a date with yourself each week:
Write how you’re feeling about the week.
What can you celebrate from the week?
Did anything noteworthy happen?
What would you like to accomplish the following week, and what are some steps to help you get there?
Where can you add in some self-care and joy?
You can write these out in a dedicated journal, input them into your device, or even do voice notes. Pick what’s easiest and more fun for you; that way you’ll be more likely to do them. Set a weekly notification, or schedule a time in your calendar for your weekly date, so that you stay on top of doing them. By taking 10-20 minutes each week and reflecting, you’ll have 52 entries by the end of 2025 that you can look back on to see just how far you’ve come.
When we’re more present and mindful about our life, we can achieve more, experience more, and live more fully than if we’re just trying to get by from one week to the next. Time really does seem to fly. Don’t allow another year to just pass you by. Take 2025 by the reins and make the most of it!
Heart Hugs,
Adrienne :)
