It is so easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of day to day life. Add the craziness of the holidays and top it off the prospect and excitement of the new year. It’s enough to make my already spinning head go into overdrive. In all of the excitement of rushing into those new goals or resolutions and focusing on bigger and better things, we can lose perspective of what we have accomplished this year. We need to stop and really reflect.
Phew, what a year it was! Our 2016 was a roller coaster filled with both personal and professional triumph and heartbreak. The hard moments are usually the easiest to recall. Pain and disappointment carve deep impressions on our slate. The big exciting moments are close behind and add to the highlight reel of the year. Then there are those everyday moments that if we aren’t careful can get lost in the day to day shuffle. Hold on to them all. Hold them tight and keep them close. There is something to learn from them all. Even in the depths of the pain, there is a lesson. It may take time to see it, but it is there.
Today as I’m forcing myself to sit and reflect on 2016 I’m choosing to focus on the triumphs, both big and small. My business coach challenged us to make a list of 10 things we accomplished this year. The first 6 came fairly easy. The last 4 really made me think. What surprised me was that those last few accomplishments were the ones that were the most personal, had a deeper meaning, and were the accomplishments that I am most proud of. They were also the accomplishments that no one saw. The intangible ones that only hold significance to me.
My coach is one smart cookie I tell ya. She knows what we need to push deep and pull out the best of us even when we don’t see it ourselves. I challenge you to do the same. I bet you accomplished more this year than you thought. I know I did.