Last year, I did some thinking about the concept of choosing my ONE WORD. One word for the year, as so many inspirational leaders suggest. And I suppose I can just jump to the bottom line and tell you that there will not be one word for the year. I am a gal who needs one word for the MONTH.
January: Recalibrate. That is the word I chose.
Recalibrating in January. It was a month of doing a bit of an assessment– what is working in my life and business and what is NOT working. Then, I made a list of some things that could stand to change in 2018 (not any “resolutions”, but a little list in a journal and a couple of post it notes that basically honed in on a few action items).
From there, rather than fully recalibrating, I left the journal and post it notes in a corner of my bedroom and… proceeded to continue to indulge for the rest of the January- just as I had done in December. Eating off my plan. Not exercising much. Watching Hulu. Hanging out for hours with friends. Determining some critical next moves in my business, yet not stepping into them at all. Honestly, it felt great!
January. The month of the traditional New Year. My birthday. My Bryn Johnson Group company anniversary. Snow. The month when I am still celebrating- like residual happiness from the holiday season.
And why not?
Who says that I must start all these new behaviors and idea implementation in January? Well—THEY do. Whoever THEY is.
Just for the record. I am done listening to THEY.
I realize that I always do this type of January celebrating and acting on my “not quite ready to get started yet” feeling – every year. It is actually part of the recalibrating. Well, this year I said to myself, “What if I break the ‘rules’ and begin my year in February instead of January?”
Mind blowing!
Result: I declared that my year in business and life runs February to January.
Wow, that felt so freeing!! It immediately brought me such a happy feeling.
So I started thinking, what other “rules” could I break? Ideas that are just not working for me, but I continue to take action on them based on a false sense of what THEY might say. What I am “supposed” to do. What is expected of me by people I cannot name, but who feel very real.
I came up with a couple of quick ones off the top of my head:
THEY: Your Christmas tree should be put away by Epiphany/ Three Kings Day/ January 6 every year.
MY RESPONSE: Rather than putting it away, I decorated my 7-ft pencil Christmas tree (perfect for NYC apartment living) with hearts, ribbons, sequins, glitter, red, pink and white for Valentines Day. Twinkling white lights on the dark, cold winter nights. Bringing me happiness.
THEY: If you are going to spend $$ on a co-working space, utilize one of the no-frills neighborhood options to get started.
MY RESPONSE: Nope. Commuting 45-60 minutes to 1 of the 2 (soon to be 3) locations in NYC of THE MOST FABULOUS social club/homebase/working spaces that I could ever imagine. Perfect for me. Bringing me happiness.
Do you see a theme? Busting out of those confines that are basically imagined. Imposed by THEY – who I cannot even name with any real certainty. Breaking the “rules” and bringing happiness to my life.
February’s word: Renegade.
Digging deep for those “rules” I have been clinging to for decades and looking for ways to break them if they no longer appear to serve me.
Join me? What “rules” are really not working for you in career or life any longer?
📷: thanks to gratisography.com
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