This was year of transformation.  Filled with personal growth and I felt a continued shift in my mindset.  This has been work but also empowering.  I set out for 2020 to be a year of learning.  I challenged my energy into this in four major learning areas: Financial Intelligence, Personal Growth, Work & Purpose, and Play.  I said no to things that didn’t feed these.  I said yes to those that did.  And in the end, I feel like I moved mountains in these areas.  And it’s not just the checking of boxes that feels good, but the actual outcome of this work.  I feel positive.  I feel curious.  I feel in control.  I feel less fearful.  I feel more clarity. I feel lit up. 

The power in it too was that anyone can do this, and feel this.  I know many friends that really struggled last year.  Change can be hard and what they have been feel is totally normal.  I also know many friends that took the golden opportunity, like I did, of this time and space to go inward, to be comfortable in solitude by challenging their energy into reflecting or a creative project, and to grow.  And those who did this, found greater meaning, purpose and energy for how they want to live their lives.  I know I did. 

So for what it’s worth, here are some of my most valuable lessons that I learned in 2020 within two of my priority areas of focus: Personal Growth and Play…

LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS:

This year was all about honing in on the relationships that mattered most and channeling my energy into those who fed me, best serve who I am and am continuing to become, and those who really needed support and were open and appreciative to receive it.  I found myself reaching out more, sending frequent video or voice messages to check in and show love, creating online gatherings with intention to connect loved ones, and unique virtual or live experiences for people based on what I knew would support them the most (including creating an at home spa experience for my sister-in-law for Mother’s Day and surprising my mom for Thanksgiving!)

With stress high for people, having compassion for others was key.  Having compassion though did not mean letting my boundaries be crossed from other’s challenge in controlling or taking responsibility for their emotions.  I found myself having more direct and open conversations so I could come from a place of understanding and was proud at how my communication skills have really strengthened in this area and served me well.

With the initial overabundance of connection at the onset of COVID, it quickly became important to control my digital usage.  I also found that in lock-down, the natural flow of intimate gatherings was really beautiful and allowed for deeper connection. 

Top Lessons:

• Love, connection and being seen matter most.  This connects us all as humans.
• Surrounding yourself with positive people & sharing your light is key to feeling happiness everyday.
• How you make others feels says a lot about you.
• Let the people you love know it and why you appreciate them; it will help brighten their days.
• Not all relationships/friendships need to stay the same. Release and evolve ones that no longer serve you with compassion and care.
• Surround yourself with people you trust and who believe in you; let go of relationships that you doubt their integrity and intentions.
• Ask for support. People that care about you want to support you and if they are not able to in the moment they will tell you.
• Trying to support people who don’t want to help themselves is a sure way to drain your own energy.  Meet people where they are.
• We are all searching for belonging and there is so much more work for us as humans to create this feeling of inclusion around the world.  We can all help in simple ways by looking each other in the eye and acknowledging our humanness.
• Have the courage to have candid conversations. Stay in your truth and lead them with compassion.  If the other person is open to it, breakthroughs can happen.

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE & AWARENESS:

In embarking on #vanlife, I encountered many things that were new and sometimes uncomfortable.  This pushed me past many fears and limiting beliefs, and taught me lessons in a few short months that I think would otherwise have taken years to really internalize. I also invested in myself, and did three different online group experiences, one centered around creating a daily gratitude practice, one on tools and practices for times of transition and one on leading with heart.  I listened to podcasts, audible books, my yogi and wise friends in my tribe.  And through this, I became more and more aware of my feelings, emotions, and evolving beliefs.

Top Lessons:

• Joy and happiness are not determined by outside forces, trust it is within you.
• Consistently practicing gratitude & celebrating wins and sharing with others amplifies positive energy.
• Practice patience. This is no rush in this journey.
• Living curiously and focusing on learning keeps the spark about life burning.
• Doing what you fear is the best way to move past the fear. When you identify the fear and limiting belief, you can move forward to overcome.
• Creating space for things to happen organically opens up amazing unplanned possibilities and reduces feelings of being overwhelmed. 
• Trust the process.  When you surrender control and let things flow magic happens.
• Controlling media intake is powerful for your mind and body.
• Trust your intuition.  Your heart and gut are almost always right.

HEALTH & WELLNESS:

I had went on a big learning journey around healthy living in 2019 and became pescatarian and on January 1, 2020 I started eating just vegetarian.  I was amazed at how it made me feel more energized, less bloated, and have a stronger immune system. 

Top Lesson:

• Eating plant-based and living sustainably can elevate your energy and health and feel good to help preserve the planet.

PLAY:

I continued to really feel into the power of music this year to impact emotions.  At the start of my Monday morning work team meetings, I would play music to set the tone and help elevate the energy. 

I love to dance and I also noticed that my housemate was struggling emotionally working remote and in lock down.  So, I started mini dance breaks in the day of rocking out to one song while dancing around the house.  I continued this in #vanlife and even got my family to join in on the fun.  It’s amazing how your endorphins get released from dance and it was very present with me to play in some way, every day.

Top Lessons:

• It is so important for your well-being to invite play into your day.
• Daily dance parties are an amazing way to lift your spirits every day!!!

I am so grateful for all these powerful lessons I learned in 2020.  A friend recently said to me “I can feel you settling deeply inside to appreciate the stillness and gratitude for a LIFE ELEVATED, a life not egged on by the business of life, but rather, a life filled with appreciation for beauty, for laughter, for freedom, for a new found comfort, for how good you feel in your body, for this precious earth…it has been so beautiful to witness your SHIFT.”  What a powerful reflection.  I guess that sums up how these lessons have served me, and I know they will absolutely continue to serve me in the years ahead.  

I highly recommend doing this process! If you’d like to check out one of the resources I used, I found this one helpful to structure my reflections: https://www.annualreview.life/
Drop me a note in the comments below and let me know what you learned!