How was your year in 2018? Was it refreshing? Disappointing? Incredibly busy? No matter how it was, you can make 2019 a great year.
We can’t control all of our circumstances. There are storms of life that will continue to head our way. However, we can choose how to view those storms―and how to respond to them.
The year 2018 was probably the busiest year of my life. I had two part-time jobs. I gave birth to my second child in April. I helped my husband with his businesses. I expanded the services that I was providing through my private practice. I started a Ph.D. program in August.
In order to keep juggling all of my balls in the air, I had to adjust my perspective. Often, we don’t realize how much we’re capable of as human beings until life throws us more balls than we previously thought we could juggle. Then we’re faced with the choice of what to do next. Do we give up and let all the balls drop? Do we throw a few to someone else? Or do we figure out a way to effectively juggle the additional balls, even if it takes some time and practice?
Instead of viewing my life as impossibly hard, I chose to view it as manageable. I pictured my life as a challenge that I could face. A riddle that I could solve. A puzzle that I could put together. This gave me the confidence and strength to keep working and thinking and finding new solutions to the problems that needed to be solved.
Last year, I chose the word “simplify” as my word for the year. I’ll be honest. I think that I complicated my life more than I simplified it in 2018. But while life was on super speed around me, I found time to pause and to create some still, simplified moments for myself. In some of the superhero movies, we can see characters creating force fields of protection in the middle of the storms. That’s what I tried to do within my own mind, so that no matter how much work and stress came my way, I could tackle it from within the quiet space that I created for myself.
What are you hoping for in the year ahead? If you could have “a great year” in 2019, what would that look like? Often, visualizing what you want is the first step to getting there. Then, you can begin taking steps in that direction.
The word that I’m choosing for 2019 is “potential.” We are capable of doing more than we think we are. Sometimes, we just need to adopt new strategies. I want to continue to discover what my potential is. And I want to help other people to achieve their potential.
As you visualize what you want, take steps in that direction, and believe that you have the potential to achieve your dreams, may you have a truly great 2019!
