New Year for a New You: Reviewing 2015

It’s day 3 of the 7-day New Year for a New You annual review and reflection on Marketing Creativity! Welcome back! If you’re just joining in, catch up by prepping your end-year review and answering the prompts from day 1 and day 2.

At whatever pace you take this review, I’m honored you’re here.

Yesterday, we continued the series with a list of ten questions that helped us review what wasn’t working in 2015. The truth is, we sometimes get very comfortable with our obstacles, for one reason or another:

• We like the nurturing attention it brings from the outside world;
• We’re addicted to the dramatics an unsolved problem adds to our life; or (most likely)
• We feel overwhelmed, uncertain and too scared to take the first step in the right direction.

In 2016, I vow to take steps in the right direction, no matter how overwhelmed, uncertain and scared I feel. Are you with me? GOOD! Here are my answers to yesterday’s prompts …

Reviewing 2015

:: What was time wasted this year?

I spent some time honing my skills at the comparison game this year – more time than I’d like to admit. I was in a few professional situations where – maybe my confidence was waning? – and I couldn’t stop comparing my work and presence to everyone else out there. Ugh.

I shared the full story in my biggest lessons of 2015, but the bottom line is that I needed a way to turn the colossal waste of time that is comparison into a lesson of empowerment.

So I started to ask myself, Why does she/he/this other business bother me? Moreover, what do they have that I want? And in some cases where the feeling was mutual, Why do I bother them? What do I have that they want?

Because what bothers me about them = my weak point: an area I could definitely strengthen (in my case this year, it was their confidence and presentation). What bothers them about me = my strong point: an area I can enhance and show off a bit more (in my case this year, it was my industry knowledge and subject matter expertise). See? Empowerment!

:: What was money wasted this year?

This was a year of quality investments + upgrades. I’m really proud of how my husband and I handled our finances this year and the risks we took in the right direction.

There’s a few areas in which I need to improve my budget and time management, such as better meal planning and less random outings for food cravings, but I don’t have much else to report.

:: What was the biggest challenged you faced this year?

CreativeLive was a big challenge for me because, even though I knew some other instructors who had generously shared their experience, I couldn’t picture it and I had no idea what it was going to feel like. I was excited, but as the date grew closer and I became more anxious, I couldn’t wait for it all to be over.

However, teaching on CreativeLive was a highlight of my year. The whole operation is comfortable + supportive + just plain lovely. I’m going back in 2016, and now I can hardly wait to savor every moment!

:: If anything, what would you change about how you handled that challenge?

I’ll change the way I plan and prepare because now I know exactly what to expect. I’m so excited!

:: Are you ending the year with any unfinished business?

I completed + released some unfinished business that had been dragging out for years in a massive decluttering I did a few weeks ago, so I’m feeling really good here.

:: Are there any outstanding goals you’d like to let go of?

No! After four years of practice + major study in the area of goal-setting and completion, my goals have evolved and each one matters greatly to my wellbeing. I have some weak areas and a goal I didn’t meet this year, but I have a plan to attack it in 2016!

:: What was your worst setback in 2015?

Most of 2015 was about forward progress, but if there was one area I failed, it was diet and exercise. I just wasn’t consistent, and the whole year through it felt like I took two steps forward, two steps back. I just didn’t move the needle on this one, and I’m in the same exact place I started off at in January 2015.

:: What bad habits or unhealthy patterns did you engage in that you’d like to give up once and for all?

I was either drinking green smoothies and eating clean, or drinking wine and ordering take-out. Believe that! It’s always one or the other with me!

I need to find a happy balance and learn moderation, and it’s on my list for 2016 (*she says, as she sips on her glass of wine, home from her fast food dinner, because it’s still 2015).

:: What or whom held you back this year? Did anything make you shrink into yourself or feel defensive about your dreams?

Professionally, I’ve had an extremely successful year. As I shared my achievements throughout the year, I observed reactions + took detailed notes on people’s responses. It really helped me “weed the garden”, so to speak.

Here’s the thing, I LOVE success: yours, mine and everyone else’s. When I walk into a gorgeous home, or I see someone looking healthy, wealthy and luscious, I GUSH. Your success doesn’t threaten me; it inspires me + I thank my lucky stars that success surrounds me because I know it means more of it is on the way!

I’ve always thought that way; I wrote the article, Competitively Speaking, Think Abundance months after I opened shop, and it’s still one of my favorites.

Anyway, I tell you all that to let you know that I genuinely root for other people’s success. I LOVE IT! I want to eat it up with a spoon. I’m a true cheerleader for anything healthy, prosperous and abundant. And people love this about me – that I love + root for their success, but I’m not so sure my real-life circle is always that happy about mine.

Over the years, some people in my life didn’t seem to take my achievements well at all. In fact, they couldn’t wait to change the subject.

Needless to say, I found out who my friends were this year. I weeded the garden, and I feel really good about closing the doors behind me so I can open all the new, supportive ones ahead.

:: How did you hold yourself back this year? Which beliefs | ideas | excuses stopped you from pushing forward?

I realized that I’ve been discounting myself for years. I follow a pattern in which I downplay + dilute my achievements in order to make others feel “safe” and not threatened. And it was up to me – and me alone – to break that pattern. I’m really thankful to have learned this about myself this year.

I’ve been holding myself back by sharing my achievements + accomplishments with people who weren’t excited about it; where it wasn’t safe to do so. So now I’m onto find peers + friends + masterminds where it is safe to shout my success from the roof top! I’ll meet you there 😉

Today’s Prompts

I hope yesterday’s list of questions prompted some ideas for what you want to change about your life in 2016. So far, we’ve covered what was working and what wasn’t in 2015. Today I want you to apply what you’ve reviewed so far into a list of policies and boundaries for the New Year. Here’s to communicating our needs + expectations better! Take and use the prompts that apply to your life + business, and leave the ones that don’t.

Enjoy some alone time in a quiet space and write down your answers to the following questions:

• The best way to reach me:
• The best time to reach me:
• How I prefer to be treated:
• What I will not tolerate:
• Hours of availability:  Work –   Personal –
• My pricing:
• My policies for those seeking advice:  Work-    Personal-
• My confidentiality agreement: Work-    Personal-
• My customer service guarantee:
• My policy on canceling/scheduling appointments:
• My volunteer policy:
• My policy on partnerships and collaborations:
• My policy on sales and delivery:
• My policy on refunds and returns:

Thank you for joining me for Day 3 of this 7-day series! Click below for a new set of prompts + my answers to today’s list.

:: day 4

It’s time to make your big dreams happen already. Here’s to your best year yet,