“True success is reaching our potential without compromising our values”
Over the past 2 years, I’ve begun to grasp what Muhammad Ali said. I’m understanding that without value, there’s no direction, there’s no standard by which one lives their life.
Around the New Year, I spend a good amount of time reflecting on the year that has come to a close. I look back on what went well and what didn’t go so well, what I left behind and what I’ve gained.
The New Year is a time to review intentions and goals, and what I’d like them to be moving forward from here. Each year, they change slightly as I grow and my priorities evolve. With the year that 2020 was, it targeted my focus far more for the coming year. 2020 helped me realize what I want in life and what my values are more than ever before.
This past year, I’ve felt that I’ve stepped further out of my comfort zones and have become closer to who I am and who I’m meant to be. Biggest example of this was my move from New Hampshire to North Carolina in the middle of the pandemic, with no apartment lease and no job lined up. Just an AirBnB reservation and motivation to start new.
Usually I redefine my values every year, but I decided to take it a little further this time around.
Step 1: I listed out my values based on who I am as an individual as well as who I am as a coach. I chose my top 5 that I hold closest to my heart and how I want to live my life and how I want to present myself as a business woman / coach.
Step 2: I created a mission statement for myself.
Step 3: Words / Rules that I live by
And this is what I came up with…
Top 5 Values
- Health
- Leadership
- Connection
- Growth
- Honesty
My Mission
To lead a life of love and integrity.
To be a leader and inspire others through my actions. To empower them to live a life that aligns with who they are.
To live my life connecting with and trusting myself. To connect with other beings and things that I value.
To live for my health and lead by example for others to do the same.
My Life Rules
- Be True to Myself
- Respond, Never React
- Let It Go – Focus on Your Circle of Control
- Fuel and Exercise My Body and Mind
- Explore – Never stop learning and experiencing life
- Love Deeply — for yourself and those you’re blessed with
- Say No to What Does Not Serve You
- Be Present – it’s the best place to be
- Slow down and take it all in
- Be and do my best – do not compare self to others
The majority of the above have already been incorporated into my life for a few years at this point. Like living a healthy lifestyle — it’s been a large factor since forever, but in recent years it’s been evolving.
Previously health meant going to the gym. Then it meant calorie counting and training every day. Today, health means taking care of my body and mind. I still train 5 days a week, I eat to fuel my body and mind. I do mobility and yoga, take naps, take more rest days when I need them. I listen to my cravings. And to me, THAT is what health is. Listening and caring for your body and mind before it gets run into the ground from stress.
My greatest goal for 2021 is CONNECTION. Connection through honesty and leadership.
I’m only 5 months into living in a new state and still making friends and all. I want to find my tribe – my tribe that becomes my family here, of people who are growth-minded, who challenge me to be a better person and to conquer the goals and milestones I set for myself.
Not only do I want to build greater connections with other people, but also with myself. A part of this is done through what I’ve created above. And that connection will continue throughout the year as I check in with myself daily, weekly, monthly, whenever I feel necessary.
One thing that I’ve started is Daily Resets — what is this? My Daily Resets are reminders on my phone that tell me to pause whatever I’m doing and breathe, re-center, and come back to the present moment. I do these 2-3x a day and they take literally 30 seconds.
Two other components I’ve added to keep me in line with myself, my intentions, and goals is a planner and a white board. My planner – I write my daily To-Do’s in as well as my schedule for the week. The white board, I placed by my bedroom door so I see it every time I leave my bedroom and can read it. But I wrote out my goals for the month, questions to ask myself, and an affirmation.
Having little reminders around the house and on my phone / in my planner help to keep me on track and focused towards what I want to accomplish daily, weekly, yearly. And it forces me to check in with myself, which is something that I often forget to do as I’m hyper-focused on everything else around me. But I’ve accepted that if I want to put my best out there, I need to focus on me and make myself a priority! And you should do the same!
What are you hoping to conquer in 2021?
What standards can you hold yourself to to help you get there?
