Holiday Season 2022 is well underway and, at the risk of being cliche, I cannot help but wonder what happened to the rest of the year?? I remember a scorching summer, but it seemed to pass way too quickly! And yet, January seems light years ago. This time of year can be a mental trap for many of us. On the one hand, we are gathering and celebrating with our friends and family. On the other, there is something that often feels lonely about the end of a year. As if, in the back of our minds, there’s this underlying, persistent reminder that the threshold of a new year is one we all ultimately cross alone and is littered with feelings of regret and loss of time. I believe, wholeheartedly, that this “reminder” is a lie and that we can waltz right into January brimming with gratitude and hope.
We just have to choose.
While introspection, goal setting, spiritual reflection, and change can happen at any time and are not relegated to New Year's Eve, the turning of the clock into a new year is a favorite of mine. I often wonder if the love of welcoming in a new year is somehow linked to my love of disco balls. I absolutely LOVE disco balls. They rank right up there with twinkle lights for me.
What draws me to them, on the surface, is rather obvious… they are pretty, shine thousands of reflections all over the place, and immediately crank “Dancing Queen” to full volume on the jukebox in my head. Ahh yes… ABBA. Purveyors of pure joy, they are. “You-oo can daance. You-oo can ji-ive. Having the time of your li-i-ife. O-o-oh…” (Need more? Scan or click the QR code.)
Ok, back to disco balls. More important than their demand for tambourines and hairbrush microphones, they remind me to celebrate. To acknowledge every single win in my life, no matter how small it may seem. Because it’s the small wins every single day, connected side by side, that create true progress and joy in our lives. Very much like all those little adjacent mirrors creating dancing little lights that shine throughout the room.
One mirror only catches one sliver of light… but 100s of them on a ball that is constantly moving create a spectacle of magic.
As you maneuver through the beautiful chaos of the last few weeks of this year, I challenge you to do a Joy Assessment of 2022. I have started doing this the last couple of years and it is such an affirming experience.
Set aside about 30 minutes of quiet time alone.
Grab a notepad and your phone.
Open your social apps, camera roll, and calendar. (Yes! A mindset exercise encouraging you to scroll!)
Scroll through each month and write down little moments of joy, happiness, and accomplishment you recorded through posts or photos.
When you are finished, stop for a few minutes, read over the list, and soak in the emotions of those memories. Let GOOD marinate for a bit.
Here is the point. There are successes, smiles, moments of joy, and feelings of gratitude present every day. Some days they are harder to recognize than others. We have to dig through layers of heartache or disappointment to uncover them, but they are there. The ones we record in our calendar and on our social media are just a fraction of these moments. The challenge, as you seek them out and read through them in a neat little list, is to commit this list to memory as you move into the New Year. Keep it close, revisit it, and add to it throughout the rest of the season.
Enter 2023 from a place of accomplishment, joy, and happy reflection. Choosing to read the story of 2022 this way will generate a boost of self-love and worthiness, and in turn, profoundly energize how you evaluate your year and set new business and personal intentions for the coming months.
My hope for you is that you will choose to see the wonder and joy of 2022,
carry them with you, and let them empower you
as you chase the possibilities of 2023.
PS. Remember that spectacle of magic I spoke of earlier? You are that spectacle of magic. You've just got to collect all those little wins, glue them together, bring them into the light, and like the disco ball… let them shine.
This article was published in the Winter edition of Focus On Fabulous magazine.
"Celebrating the strengths, stories & successes of everyday women living extraordinary lives."
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This blog is a personal collection of my thoughts, wins, losses, memories, and crossroad moments. Almost all of which were hashed out around my kitchen counter and in my journals. If any of it resonates with you and you are ready to free up the hidden badass you ARE right now, I can help. It’s time… Click the link and Let’s chat.
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