Teresia's Blog

On November 6th as I was out doing some errands, I had to shake my head as it dawned on me that in the background was Christmas music. I swear each year the Christmas season starts earlier and earlier. After my first reaction “is this not a little early”? I immediately had a smile on my face as the Christmas seasons highlights some of my most important values: sharing and connection.

During this time of year, we’re all focused on rituals for the holidays. Decorations are the momentos we bring out every year to set our holiday spirit. Many people have rituals such as going to see the Christmas lights, a Christmas play or children’s recitals. Rituals play a key role in our lives, especially during the holiday season.

This year, I recommend you add another ritual: take some time to close out 2009 and open the door to 2010. If you have been part of my community in the past you know that a year has not passed where I do not encourage this ritual.

In our fast-paced lives, as we begin to approach a new year we have a tendency to start thinking about “what’s next” long before we wrap up what we’re currently working on. While this can be a strategic way to keep things moving, it can also rob us of the opportunity to reap the full rewards of the journey we’ve been on. There is great richness and depth to be found when you take time to really look at your recent experiences.

Some of the greatest gifts we can give others are the “gift of time” and the “gift of acknowledgement”.

What if this holiday season you gave yourself the above gifts? What if you set a special date with yourself to reflect, acknowledge and celebrate all that 2009 brought to your life?

Take time to look back and see how far you’ve come. Honor the progress you’ve made in 2009, the goals you met, even the challenges you encountered along the way, and sift through it all to find the lessons learned. These bits and pieces can add up to tremendous realizations that will help you launch into the year to come.

Acknowledging yourself and appreciating your growth process is a core component of enjoying life. Stepping back helps us see the bigger picture and maintain perspective on what we want, where we’re going, and how we want to get there.

Grab your journal, a friend, or your partner and take some time to consider these questions to guide you in reviewing the previous year and setting yourself up for a spectacular 2010.

What were your greatest successes?

• Think of the most important areas of your life what are you most proud of or what have you accomplished in each area?
• Did you meet or exceed your financial goals?
• Did you accomplish a near impossible work project?
• Did you take a vacation to a country you had always wanted to visit?

Remember to celebrate! What will you do in the next 30 days to acknowledge your successes?

How have you evolved? Who have you become?

• Are you more loving?
• More patient?
• Were you more courageous, adventuress, in 2009?

Coaches tip: Who we become is much more powerful than what we accomplish…

What are you most grateful for in 2009?

This time of year is a great time to count our blessings and be thankful for what we have in our life. What is on your gratitude list?

What were the five most important lessons you learned this year? 

What do you know now that you didn’t know as you entered 2009? These lessons can be the result of good or bad things happening. Use your “lessons learned” to accentuate the positive and avoid the negative as you focus on 2010.

What important things do you want to accomplish or change about your life during 2010?

Take sometime to brainstorm – write whatever comes to mind. Then prioritize.

What items on your list could be accomplished more easily with the help of other people? 

Identify three people who can help you with each accomplishment or the changes you’d like to make. Write down their names along with a deadline to contact them. Know very precisely how you would like them to help you. Enlisting the help of others can be a powerful way to make things happen. You do not have to do it alone!

Who are the people in your life that have made the biggest difference to you this past year? 

Make a list of who has played a pivotal role in your life. How could you show them your appreciation? A few years ago, as a gift to the people closest to me I gave them a list of 25 reasons (25 days of Christmas) why I loved and appreciated them. A gift from the heart goes a long way………….

Ask yourself, honestly, what could you do that would bring more joy into your daily life and what do you need to do to get that started?

Make a list and keep it where you will be reminded daily of how you can bring more joy in to your life. Remember the simplest things in life can bring us the most joy.

May you have a joyous and fulfilling holiday Season.

Warmly, Teresia