The one thing you need to do to set your year up for success...

We are almost halfway through the first month of 2019. How are those New Year’s resolutions coming for you? Already failed?!I certainly hope not. But, what I have learned from the past is that if I don’t PLAN OUT for the year + months to come, typically by mid-January, I don’t even remember what my New Year’s resolutions were.Sad, but true.However, over the past few years, I’ve learned how to really set my year up for success, and I’ve found it’s easier than I ever really realized.Today, I wanted to share with you the ONE THING I do that help me get my year off to a great start and set me up for success over the next 12 months. Drum roll please...REFLECTThe number one thing that I’ve learned is that I need to figure out what went well the previous year and what I need to improve on in the coming year. You’re basically giving yourself a physical, mental, and emotional audit.Similar to what many of us do for the upcoming year, I want you to pick a word that would encompass + describe the previous year. This might be the same word that you chose at the beginning of the year, or it might be something completely different.I made my word going into 2018 COMMITMENT. However, upon reflecting on what my year looked like, it was definitely a year of GROWTH. I learned SO MUCH about myself in 2018 - my strengths, my weaknesses, how to overcome challenges, what I’m truly capable of. It was a LIFE CHANGING year, truly.By determining a word that describes my year, I am able to more readily figure out the next step, which is…What were the most meaningful things that happened during the year? What things would you absolutely repeat again? And, in contrast, what were the things that you swear you won’t ever do again, or what didn’t SERVE you well?2018 was a year of growth for me and some of the most meaningful things + events I did were really diving into personal development, choosing risk over comfort by quitting my job, making genuine connections + finding community with new people who support my beliefs and ideas. The things that didn’t serve me - or didn’t help me GROW - were saying yes to too many things. (Oh, I’m pretty sure we can ALL say this…) I want to help others, I want people to like me, I’m a peacemaker, for goodness sake. But, I also wore myself out by the end of the year by saying yes to things that didn’t serve me. I also know that my communication (or lack thereof) didn’t serve me well either. So, those are things I want to improve on in the coming year.Don’t hesitate to get into the nitty gritty details of the things that went well and what didn’t serve you. I know that saying yes to too many things made me FEEL stretched thin and that I couldn’t be present. I KNOW that personal development made me into a much better person that is capable of so much more and pushed me into this woman who I know I am truly meant to be.And after some honest reflection with myself, I can sit down and really determine what my word or words are for the upcoming year. But, YOU NEED TO DO THE REFLECTION PIECE FIRST. I feel like sometimes we are so focused on what’s next + being this bigger, better person than the previous year, that we just add more to our plates instead of truly learning from the processes of the past year.We all want that change. We all want that fresh start. But, we still cannot forget the past. We need to remember where we were before to help push us into who we are supposed to become the next year.Now that I’ve told you what I do, let me share with you my words for this year.This year, I want to feel WORTHY. I want to be INTENTIONAL. And I want to be PRESENT.I had a fantastic year in 2018, but even the good things I felt like I couldn’t be excited about because I felt it was a fluke or that I wasn’t deserving. But, guess what? I worked my ass off to achieve + accomplish all that I did in 2018, and I want to remember that going into 2018. That I am worthy of recognition, of change, of happiness.But, when I look at the struggles and the things that didn’t serve me, I know 2 things - I wasn’t intentional enough + I wasn’t present enough. And that left me burnt out + exhausted, which is the OPPOSITE of what I want. This doesn’t mean that I need to do a complete overhaul of my life and change everything. It just means that I need to be more intentional with my time. Is it a full body yes? If it is, it’s a HELL YES. If it’s not, then it’s a no.And the other phrase I’m coining this year…In everything I do, I am ALL IN.I am easily distracted and struggle to focus. I’ve messed up in the past and I want to do better. I want to be an exceptional wife. I want to be an exceptional mom. I want to be an exceptional leader, business owner, mentor. And in order to do this, I MUST be present in whatever I am doing. I’m ALL IN, not distracted with something else because I can’t get my mind off it. If it’s an emergency, then I can shift gears. If not, LET IT GO.

So, I’d love to know. What is your word from 2018 and what are you going into 2019 with? Comment below + share!