Year of Yes – January Recap

One of the commitments I’m making this year is to do a monthly recap of my Year of YES. It is part journaling, part accountability to keep me moving towards the things that bring me joy. I am noticing how easy it is for me to talk myself out of things. Knowing I am committed to doing this monthly recap is one way I’m honoring this Year of YES.

The biggest thing I have realized this month is how quickly I say no. More times than not, it is my first response and it doesn’t even occur to me to question if no is the right answer. So, in January, my first practice has been to slow down and pay attention to how my body is responding when an opportunity comes my way.

This has led to me establishing some parameters around my yeses. I know in my last blog post I said I would be saying yes to all the things. However, I quickly learned that I need some guidelines because a couple of opportunities came up that were a hard NO in my body.

Parameters

• If my no is based on fear, then it needs to be a yes. A caveat, the fear I’m referring to here is the fear that is based on a made-up story I’m telling myself. If my life is legitimately in danger, it’s a no. But if I’m making up a story, then it needs to be a yes.
• If a yes causes everything in me to constrict, then it’s a no. I believe in the wisdom of my body and if my body is tightening up then I need to listen to what she’s saying. This post over on Instagram was the catalyst for this parameter.
• Connected to the above, if my body neither expands nor contracts then it’s a yes.
• If it makes me smile (even a little) at the same time I want to run the other direction, it’s a yes. That tiny smile is an indication my curiosity has been piqued and it needs to be followed.

Those are my current parameters. I reserve the right to add or modify as this year unfolds to ensure that I am staying true to myself on this journey.

My January Yeses

My body

You may have noticed I’ve referenced paying attention to my body a lot. This is one of the first things I said yes to this month. I have long believed that my body holds untapped wisdom inside her. Over the last year or so, I have been learning how to intentionally reconnect with my body. This is not just about exercising or moving my body, though that is also happening. For me, this is about listening and paying attention to the cues and clues my body is constantly giving me about what’s happening around me. It has necessitated slowing down, which is a good thing for me.

Counseling

I mentioned this last time, but it still bears repeating because it’s an important one for me. Being back in counseling has been sooooo good for me! My therapist helped me think about putting parameters around my Year of Yes. She is also helping me discern when my body’s response is based on my current reality vs any past trauma-related responses. THIS is a huge learning (and unlearning) for me and I’m grateful for her support.

Online Summit

I was invited to participate in an online Summit happening later this year. The topic of the Summit is Secrets of Dynamic Midlife Women: When the ‘wrong side’ of forty…is the most vibrant, sexy and powerful time of your life. I’m tickled to be a part of this Summit because I think women too often believe life ends after 40. Turning 40 was hard for me, but my 40’s are turning out to be my best decade yet. I’m excited to be a part of this Summit.  I’ll be sharing about how to navigate the often myriad of changes that women face in midlife, beyond the physical ones.

There have been other yeses but these are the big ones for January. There are already some fun opportunities on the horizon for February. Thanks for tagging along with me on this Year of Yes.

I’d love to hear about your January. How did the New Year start off for you? You can share in the comments below or email me if you’d rather keep it private.

As always, here’s to each of us finding joy and rising into our greatness.

From my heart to yours,

P.S.: If you’d like to create your own personalized Vision Board for this year, click here to download a FREE copy of my 2020 Vision Board Guidebook.