As life continues with its rapid changes and as we prepare to enter the momentous year of 2012, I have some big questions for you… 
Where are you headed? How will you get there? What does your authentic self say about all that?
I love this time of year, as it’s a wonderful time to reflect on what you have done, how far you have come, and then celebrate – You!
Recently, most of my client meetings are centered around what I call a “wrap up and get ready”.
Ultimately this thought process evokes planning and questioning about where you see yourself going as you embark into a brand new year! It’s a lot like cleaning the slate, choosing what works for you, moving beyond barriers and limitations, getting rid of the old and creating space for the new.
I’m delighted about how far my clients have come in the past year and honored to have helped them along their journey as a trusted advisor, mentor, coach, and consultant. I am incredibly amazed at what has transpired and what continues to unfold.
I’ve seen it in my own life. I hired a business consultant a year ago to help support my business growth and expansion. Through this partnership what I have set out to do and what I have accomplished (May I brag? Yes!) is more than I could have ever imagined. As we celebrated as a team, she said, “I can hardly wait to see what happens next year”.
When you focus and believe and, of course, write it down … It Happens!
I also see this in my clients. We work on getting grounded, resilient, clear, and focused; enabling a strong platform to set and realize what it is that is most important to their own individual growth and development as well as their business or career. In this way we fuel mindful, positive growth.
Self development is critical. Working on yourself, knowing yourself — your true, authentic self — your strengths, your genius, and even your flaws, allows you to move beyond and into a grounded place where you can excel professionally. I see this time and time again. It’s imperative to work on the whole person, really get to the heart of the matter. Building a solid foundation first allows us to stay balanced and realize professional success instead of a place of burnout or unhappiness.
Coming to the close of 2011, I have been advising all of my clients to think about their personal and professional accomplishments. I advise them to both quantify and qualify these successes to recognize how far they’ve come. These things don’t have to be large scale; they can be quite subtle, and often times, the subtler ones are larger than they appear.
It’s within the subtle or finer details where the biggest achievements shine.
Once you have taken stock of your accomplishments — what you did, how you did it, and the result — write it down … you will be amazed! Then, most importantly, Celebrate You! We often miss these moments to celebrate or receive and relish in our own success as we’re too busy rushing off to the next “gotta do, get it done” goal. Instead, enjoy it for awhile. Be with it and Be Grateful.
To let go and move into the new, find a space in your office or your home, sit down and get quiet, relax to clear your mind so that the new can present itself. Don’t try to force it or contrive something that doesn’t feel right. It will appear when it’s ready; all we need to do is find the quiet moments, to create space in our body-mind-soul to allow it to surface on its own from an authentic place.
Mull over these questions as you begin your 2012 year … it’s going to be a momentous one.
- What have I accomplished in 2011? What am I really proud of and excited to be talking about?
- Where do I see myself going in 2012?
- What do I want to focus my energies on and what do I not want to focus on? Do I need to delegate, drop, or develop?
- What are my intentions? How do I want to be? (e.g. live an authentic life with greater purpose, be in balance, etc.)
- What support do I need? (e.g. do I need a trusted advisor or mentor?)
- Are my short term actions feeding and supporting my short and long term goals?
- What’s my vision? Is it clear and purposeful? What is my Job (with capital ‘J’)?
As I always say, trust in the process.
The answers are there, inside your authentic self. As you “wrap up and get ready” for a new year, let that authentic self speak clearly … then take some time to celebrate truly how far you’ve come.
Wishing you a wonderful season.
Paula
Photo source: CHRISTMAS/LENTEN ROSE (HELLEBORE): Means, beautiful year ahead.
Fine Art made by Kim Hoffman – www.madebykim.com
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