Reflection on 2019 and the word I chose for 2020
Confession: I’m one of those people who loves to reflect, to process info for a LONG time, and to write. Which means that although I did already write a “best of 2019” post, I still have a little more to say :)
In reflecting on 2019, I realized that many of the things that didn’t work for me centered around one common theme - more.
I tried more business strategies in 2019 than I did in 2017 and 2018 combined.
I did more online learning and bought more tools and resources.
I added more services.
I went to more conferences, had more speaking engagements, and more meetings.
I had more clients.
I did a heck of a lot more work .
And yep, I made more money.
For many people, this makes perfect sense. I put myself out there more and it worked. Well. Sort of. Here are a few “more” things that belong on that list.
I felt more pressure to perform.
I felt more pressure to be active on social media (a place I do not love and that’s not great for me personally).
I had more difficult conversations with difficult clients.
I had more doubts than ever before about why I started this business.
I felt more guilty about working when my kids were home or late at night.
I spent more money than I wanted to.
That list could go on a bit longer but I’ll leave it at that because the point is clear. More isn’t always better.
The positive part of all this is that in September-ish, I realized what was happening. I took a couple of days off and got a handle on my feelings. I didn’t quit but I paused to reflect long enough that I had a ton of clarity of all a sudden.
I remembered why I started this business.
I understood that I felt off because I was off. I wasn’t working on the right projects, and I was losing sight of those early reasons that drove me to start. I was getting distracted by the onslaught of podcasts and blogs promising “Turn your business into six figures” and “Grow to this huge number” and I had to stop the madness.
I knew the best way to move forward was to understand what wasn't working (and why) and then work to change it.
I began to slowly make the changes I needed. I scaled back my client load. I unsubscribed for hours! I used that lovely mute option on Instagram. I got outside more. I read more. I said no more than I was comfortable with but every no made me breathe a little easier.
Before I knew it, I started to feel like me again. And by early November, I knew two things:
My word of 2019 was progress and I had nailed it. I had made progress on every single goal and most importantly, I had made progress in knowing myself.
My word for 2020 would be less.
Less pressure. Less stuff. Less striving. Less comparison. Less busy. Less of everything which might also mean less money. And I’m okay with that.
I’ve already let go of Instagram for my business and that felt great. I’m taking small steps to let go of new small business work and only taking 10 new clients in that area for 2020, which will allow me to focus on serving nonprofits, my real passion.
I don’t know where else “less” will lead me but I am ready to let it all unfold in 2020 and see where it goes.
Your turn! Tell me your word of the year, goals, or resolutions in the comments or over on Facebook where I posted a mini-version of the post today!