Today marks the end of the first half of 2019 (in the Gregorian calendar)! Have you achieved your goals yet?
Me neither. I’m not feeling much like a firecracker — yet.
Last year I celebrated July 4th as my own personal Independence Day — the day I officially vowed to throw myself “into the arena” as Brene Brown is fond of saying when quoting Teddy Roosevelt’s famous poem. I promised myself to be in the world in bigger ways so I can help my clients and myself share our gifts more.
Independence doesn’t mean going it alone because, truly, if there was ever a recipe for failure in life that must be it. It doesn’t mean ignoring loved ones, colleagues or community. It means being intentional and making clear and conscious decisions about why, where and how you want to be in this world. That may involve moving directly toward greater connection. Or it may mean stepping away from those that aren’t working for you.
Mostly it’s about conscious, intentional, self-determination. Being proactive, rather than reactive. It’s fine to just go where the wind blows you at times, as long as you don’t get caught in its gust for too long! And when you do get off track, come back to it with grace for yourself, over and over again, as many times as necessary.
I invite you to take a 5- or 15-minute mid-year pause to remember where you were headed and pat yourself on the back for how far you’ve sailed so far this year. In fact, I’ve created a worksheet to help you do just that.
Personally, this is new territory for me. I’m not good at congratulating myself. The downside of thinking big is that I don’t appreciate the small steps I’ve achieved along the way. But every firework is made up of lots of little sparks, no? That’s what makes it beautiful.
I think those of us who have this disease of discounting our successes dishonor ourselves. And that does not help us get where we want to go.
So, I’ll start by sharing some of the sparks I’ve made so far this year:
- I write to you weekly, and sometimes you write back. (I love that!)
- I go live on Facebook every Tuesday at 12:30 p.m., and sometimes you show up and even comment. (I love that, too!)
- I completed in-person beta tests of my new workshop — What You Want: Creating Your ideal Work Day.
- I wrote an eBook about how to ask for a raise that will make its way into the world at some point.
- I’ve hired a new team member knowledgeable about online course marketing, and I’ve tried out some others that didn’t work out.
- I’ve manifested an awesome new corporate client for me and my team.
- I performed at Disney Hall, home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
- I performed wearing a toy duck on my head (not at Disney Hall, but it was really fun!).
- I’ve made some very specific asks of the universe and she has delivered exactly what I asked for. I am awestruck.
And I did all of this with remnants of grief that at times required a bathroom cry break, though this is happening less and less. I did some of this with the malaise of a low thyroid (now adjusted, thank goodness).
Do I wish I’d done more these last 181 days? Sure. Always. But I lit some sparks, and so did you. So download your Sparks of Achievement worksheet. And let’s celebrate what we’ve done so far this year to light up our own lives and the lives of others.
In the words of that great female empowerment diva Katy Perry:
You just gotta ignite the light
And let it shine
Just own the night
Like the Fourth of July
One little spark at a time.
Have a great week! Stay safe and enjoy the fireworks!
