2024 in Review

It's the most awkward timeeeee of the yearrrrrrr *Sung to the tune of the most wonderful time of the year, OBVI.*

Here we are again. That awkward in between phase of Christmas and New Years, where we are decidedly out of sorts and unclear on what day it is, what we should be doing, or WHO WE EVEN ARE. Ok maybe that feels dramatic. But this time kinda does that to me. I have definitely been craving getting back into some semblance of a routine, but I'm not totally there yet. The tree can stay for another week. The food and alcohol consumption could be taken down at least a few notches to brave myself for getting back to a more normal way of eating and drinking (hello, water- old friend). And frankly, my leggings are requiring a return to normalcy. When your leggings start feeling a little snug, it's time. But in general I'm all about easing my way into different phases. I'm about long term vs. short term change. And so before I go guns blazing into 2025 with new goals and plans, I'm using this time to be reflective of what 2024 brought. I was super grateful to be included yesterday in a meet up of a fabulous group of local women to reflect on 2024 and plan for 2025. It got my wheels turning in all the best ways. Then I went back to my last post of 2023, along with my first post of 2024 to see how I did. There were some major themes for this year that I uncovered, which I'm going to share. And one thing at the top that I want to mention as it may serve you- this exercise of reviewing the past year, and setting goals for the year ahead, was invaluable. Having it all written out, said out loud, it really did something. And the fact that I could look back to review, was invaluable. So I highly recommend going through this process for yourself, in whatever way feels right for you. Whether it's doing a vision board, journaling, sharing with a friend or group of people, or just doing it privately. The act of reviewing and planning for yourself and being able to look back has so much value. I look back at some of my intentions for 2024, and I can honestly say that most of my intentions I made some sort of progress on. Some I nailed lol. Others still require further tweaks or work. But if I hadn't set the intention, would they have happened? Maybe. There's no way of knowing. But because I did set the intention, I can look back and see all the growth I experienced. I can feel proud of myself. I can see progress. It makes it easier for me to not focus on anything that didn't happen or go my way, and instead acknowledge how much progress I made. Here's a wrap up on some of the major themes of mine for 2024.

Fun

One of the goals I had last year was to have more fun. To get closer to a pre-pandemic life. To not be so focused on work that I didn't focus on the effort it takes to make sure fun gets scheduled in. Just acknowledging the fact that I wasn't having as much fun was a big a ha moment, because I didn't even realize it had slipped away from me. So once I recognized it, it became easier to realize where I was blocking the fun, or where I needed to schedule it. I think it boiled down to 4 major changes I made. 1. Was I said yes to things more. I just opened myself up to more opportunities for fun. I stopped overthinking invites. 2. I planned things more. I made plans with people that I knew would be fun to be around. 3. I changed my approach to networking. When I did this, it just opened the possibility for the role new people in my life would play. This meant that I ended up meeting really cool and interesting people who offered fun new experiences. It meant I made new friends vs. focusing on business connections, for example. I just looked at any opportunity to meet new people as a fun and interesting new experience, and I attached no agenda to it. This year I can honestly say- I really found my people. 4. I spent less time on social media. I prioritized real life experiences vs. scrolling. During the summer I made a point to spend a lot less time on social media so that I was actually enjoying my summer and the great weather instead of just living in the fake world of social media. It's not a substitute for the real deal.

Fear-less

This year I said yes to more things that scared me, or that I didn't know how I would accomplish. I also didn't cling to things that weren't right, in a fear that something better wouldn't come along. But my biggest accomplishment was that I didn't let fear have as tight a grip on me overall. This year presented major financial challenges, along with unexpected and unavoidable setbacks. In the past, I would have let these events consume me. I would have felt like I had to be constantly scrambling to control, to "fix." Well, what about when there is no fix? How about a wedding that you're contracted to do that gets cancelled, weeks before, because the future groom unexpectedly dies? Nothing you can do about that. It's also moments like these that give you true perspective. Many things we can't control. Many things that feel bad for us, there is something infinitely more painful someone else is experiencing. My loss of time and income was a loss of life for someone else. The loss of a fiancé, a son, you get the point. There is zero comparison.

Here's what I've learned about fear. The fear doesn't change the result. If you sit in the fear and let it take over, it doesn't fix the problem. Fear is an emotion that we get to decide whether we let it take us over, or not. When you sit in fear, it feels awful. And we do it as if somehow that's what we "deserve" or like we're paying penance. But we have the permission slip we need to say- I see this fear, and I feel it, but I'm not going to choose it. I'm going to choose something else instead. We are not our thoughts. We are not our feelings. If I sit in my fear, it's a great way to energetically bring more things my way to fear. Or. I can choose the opposite. I can choose courage, peace, happiness. Whatever feels most readily available. I get to choose when I turn things off, and turn things on. I find that it's easiest for me to stay in fear if I stay in my head. Let me tell you- I am an EXPERT ruminator lol. So the biggest lesson this year for not letting myself get consumed by fear when the opportunities arose, was to get out of my head and turn to a different station. Literally. Sometimes that meant listening to a podcast about an entirely unrelated topic. Sometimes it meant going for a walk outside. Sometimes it meant reading a book that took me virtually to another place. I learned how to block my fear from consuming me. It resulted in so much greater peace, I cannot begin to explain it. It didn't change anything that happened. It simply allowed me to still maintain my peace.

Self love and trust

This year I really learned to trust myself and my intuition. I learned more about my personal strength, and realized just how resilientI am. I learned more about how capable I am. I started caring less about outside perception of me. I started focusing more on me and how I feel about things and what my wants are. I focused more on protecting my peace, no matter the cost. It's not always easy, but it's always worth it.

Vulnerability and Authenticity

When people asked me how I was, I was honest (as long as I assessed that they were a safe person to share with). I didn't shy away from saying the truth. If people asked how business was, I was honest. And you know what I found? Sometimes it gave permission to other people to do the same. To share their own vulnerabilities. Sometimes they responded offering assistance. Sometimes, they did neither- and left me alone on an island of vulnerability. And ya know what? I learned how to deal with that too. I learned how to be ok being the minority. Being the "awkward" one who shared the truths that many feel they have to hide in the shadows. I learned how to see pity in someone's response, and to not let that wreck me and instantly regret sharing. I learned how to be ok standing in my own truth. I have zero regrets.

As I sit in reflection here of all that happened in 2024, I am feeling grateful. It wasn't an easy year by any means, but it was a year of incredible growth. It feels like a literal launching pad into this new year. I feel hopeful, and I feel ready. So 2025, here we come.

See you next week where I'll spill the tea on what I've got on my mind for 2025 ;) 

XO