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This last month of 2019 was a bit of a whirlwind for me. Between the holiday madness and recovering from surgery, it definitely brought to light one of the most important, among many, lessons for the year for me: Slow. Down. Learn when to take a rest, to ask for help when needed, or simply to say no to things you cannot possibly take on. When we don’t listen to the signs that tell us to slow down, they get louder and louder until they smack you over the head.
Last week I did not have a new podcast due to the hectic month I was going through, but I was rushing around trying so hard to get an episode done when I finally stopped myself and said “Why am I rushing?” It’s okay if I don’t have an episode for one week. It’s okay to stop and take a break every now and then if it means saving your own sanity. When things are rushed and you are feeling anxious you cannot create your best work. Listen to the universe and all of it’s signs and figure out what the best thing is for you right now.
This past week my husband and I really sat down, pajamas and coffee and all, and we looked over all of our wins, not only for the past year, but the whole decade as well. As we enter a new one, it’s important to reflect on what has already been accomplished because all too often we underestimate all we can get done in a year, 5 years, even 10 years. Adversely, many of us tend to overestimate what we can do in just one day. Success takes time. One of the biggest things I accomplished this year in my business was building my team. I’ve had one for years, but this past year was really about empowering them to do what they need to so I could let go of some things so that I can focus more on what I need to do. I stepped into a different mind set on leadership to become not only a better leader but teacher as well.
On the other hand, I had my share of misses for 2019. For the past two years now, I have listed finishing the outline for my book as one of my big goals that I just keep missing. Targets needed to be hit on a monthly basis just were not being met which inevitably leads to my fears creeping in saying “Can I really do this?” But I add it to my list of goals for 2020 and try and try again.
One of the many lessons I learned this year was to really embrace my purpose. Looking at all of the experiences I’ve either been through or created, the knowledge I extended to others, the people I’ve helped; all of these things that really give me my purpose in life I am embracing. Through this I more accurately defined what it was I wanted to bring to the table and that is to shift the paradigm on local business. I assist those with small businesses to realize that it is less about the service or product you sell and more about building the customer relationship and providing a better experience for them. The clearer you become on what it is you really want to do or who you want to be is when everything else starts to gain clarity as well.
Another lesson was learning how to step into my future self. To adopt the mind set of someone who has already achieved the things I want to achieve is the best way to reach those goals. Really think about what this successful person looks like, acts like, and become that person. Refrain from becoming stuck in the state of mind of “This is who I am, all I’ll ever be” and step into the “This is who I want to be, therefore I am”.
Being afraid of failure and rejection was always something I dealt with. It was not until this past year that I really got the courage to put myself out there, regardless of the consequences, and be unapologetically me. I took chances I might not have before because I realized that if I don’t try and leave my comfort zone into new terrain, I cannot grow as a person or a business, and I cannot help the people I want to. From all of my failures only come a plethora of lessons that I can turn into successes.
Negative thoughts from fears always have a way of creeping in, but another lesson from this year that I learned to do was to change these thoughts quickly into more positive ones to continue moving forward. Recognize them when they manifest and assess where the negativity is stemming from. Once you are fully aware of the Why, you can change the channel to something that serves you better. Through positive thoughts we can achieve better results.
The last important lesson I’ve learned this past year was to surround myself with people who drive me. Whether it be my work team or my support system, it’s those people that surround me every day and lift me up. They are there for me when I need them or have an idea I need someone to bounce off of, these are who I choose to be around because they only impact my life positively. When you have good people around to drive you and help you is when you can become your best self. Focusing your energy on negativity and people who bring you down will only keep you from achieving your goals.
Through all of these lessons, I can take what I have learned in 2019 and implement them moving forward to truly make the most out of the new year. What are you planning to do in 2020?
If you enjoyed this episode and in some way, it inspired you to start taking action, I’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Send me a DM on Instagram @theresacantley and let me know what your favorite part was.
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If there is a topic you would love me to talk about or a question you may have, send it to us at theresa@theresacantley.com and we’ll feature it on one of our future episodes.
LINKS:
Episode 43 – The Price of Success Is Standing In Unknown Terrain.
Episode 42 – How To Bring Your Team Together In 4 Simple Steps.
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