New Year, New Haley

This is a picture of the author. Although her hair looks fantastic, what she really likes is how she feels this year in this picture versus last year at this same time when she was wearing a dumpster fire medal for surviving 2020.

Every year, in the last week of the year, I take time to reflect on the positive changes, improvements and progress made during the year. It’s a chance to see how many of the things I set off to accomplish actually happened. More times than not, if I’ve written these things in my goal list for the year, I’ve made them happen, at least in some way. Sometimes it’s things like: get into a better skin-care routine, help my kids level up on swim skills and hire a financial planner. Other times there are bigger goals, like this year.

I sat down yesterday to write my list of positive changes this year, and I was completely overwhelmed. All I wrote was, “Where to start????!” How do you capture what happened this year in a list? How do I summarize a life-changing, transformative year in ten bullet points?

It turns out I never wrote a goal list for 2021. If I had, it would have said something like, “Turn your life upside down and yourself inside out and work to make sure it’s all a better version when it’s over.”

Give me a second while I check that off the list.

Give me another second while I say a few salty phrases and take a deep breath, because this year was no joke.

Now that the calendar is turning over (Man, I love being surprised by the new picture on my calendar each month!), I have summarized how I’m going to show up for the new year. This list could also be titled, “My coaches’, therapist’s and friends’ greatest hits.” I can’t take credit for most of this advice, but I can take credit for listening and doing something about it.

For 2022!!

1. I’m going to drive the boat and not just let the waves toss me around and hope I don’t drown. I have an oar, GPS, a cool captain’s hat and lots of training on how to operate my own boat.
2. Boundaries will be a theme for the year. I get to design my life in a way that works better for me and my family.
3. My work life will be focused on what I can do to help others and choosing work I enjoy. That’s my guide. None of the other stuff matters nearly as much as that. What a relief!
4. I’m protecting the time with my kids in the morning and evenings as much as possible.
5. I’m locking in and showing up to my weekly yoga and exercise appointments because they make me feel better in all areas of life.
6. I’m going to remember that old patterns and fears will creep back and I will have to hit them with the whack-a-mole mallet once in awhile.
7. I’m going to watch for signs in my “getting overwhelmed cycle” so I can make changes earlier. Side note: It’s a helpful activity to plot out how you feel and what you do right before you get overwhelmed so you can recognize it sooner. Then go to your reference list of what activities help you come back from the edge.
8. Life doesn’t have to be either/or. Life can be “AND!!” I am committed to continue my writing journey while launching a consulting business (more to come on this in the new year!).

I will leave you with a few helpful (and oh-so-true) quotes from amazing people, in case you are stuck or looking for some inspiration:

“Action brings clarity.”

— Mo Chanmugham, Career Coach Extraordinaire and Bona Fide Sea-Of-Life Captain Coach

“The best way to feel how you want to feel is to feel how you do feel. ”

— Alicia Benson, Life Coach and expert at asking the hard questions that kind of make you mad but are necessary to grow

Here’s a nod to acknowledge 2021, with all the good and bad that make us better versions of ourselves. Let’s go make 2022 a great year!