This is an archived blog from when I ran Conscious Public Relations Inc. from 2008-2018. Excuse the potential outdated-ness!
Reflecting on 2015
I remember really enjoying writing this blog last year, so I’m going to do the same for this past year.
1. Where did I thrive?
I thrived this past Fall when October was our busiest month in company history, and I knew to hire someone to cope with the workload. I also wanted the experience of having two staff on the team, so I hired a student intern for November-December and it really taught me a lot about what steps I and the company need to take next.
2. Where did I struggle?
Spring and Summer were very slow for business, whereas Spring is traditionally one of our busiest seasons. I sought out help, but received a lot of conflicting advice, and emotionally I felt very stuck. I’ll talk more about the lesson I learned from this in #4.
3. Who was important in my life and why?
Throughout the business challenge, my Mastermind group really helped me to stay grounded and focused on solutions. I also formed a Board of Advisors which gave me a new vision to focus on for Q3 and Q4 and the motivation I needed to keep going.
Leo and my sister have always been huge supporters of mine both in business and life, but this year was especially different because Leo proposed. It signified a new step in our relationship, and allowed me to see that there is a new journey for us even though I was quite happy with where we were before the engagement.
4. What lesson am I grateful to have learned?
I learned that it is so ineffective and unproductive to get emotional in business and the amount of time I should have spent on working harder (and smarter!) should have been way more than focusing on the negative.
5. Where and how was I courageous?
I didn’t let our work overflow in the Fall overwhelm me; I believe that I managed our projects and staff to my best, and that resulted in us riding that wave gracefully. I also didn’t need to work TOO much overtime to cope with it, and made sure that I had personal time for myself. I also made the decision that Q3, Q4, and 2016 needed to be drastically different than the first half of 2015 if we were going to be successful. It took a lot of courage to say that I was going to stick with it, rather than giving up when times were hard.
6. What brought me joy?
Easy! Spending time with Leo, family, and friends, and forgetting about work sometimes. I took a week off in early September to help organize my sister’s house and found it very therapeutic. We also took a long weekend trip to Portland and that was just enough for me to re-energize for work.
7. How did I treat my body, heart, spirit, and mind?
My body: Sticking to my regular exercise regimen and continuing to eat meat-free and as healthy as possible this year did my body good, EXCEPT for this last month when I threw all caution to the wind. The sugary snacks and heavy meals wasn’t fun the weekend before my 24-hour famine for #BeingHungrySucks and it taught me a hugely important lesson in taking care of my body.
My heart: I have to admit I wasn’t listening to my heart in times when I should have this year. I punished myself a lot mentally, and realized that I need more self-love and gratitude. This is what I hope to do more of in 2016.
#SayHitoaStranger really helped me to connect with others more, and I’m so grateful for that experience talking with others.
My spirit: I did my first entire year of TM practice (twice daily) and the passing of my grandmother reminded me about how powerful passed spirits are. In the summertime, I received a very powerful reading from someone and I knew that my relatives were behind that message. Recently, an intuitive colleague told me a message that she said wasn’t from her, but from my powerful soul family. I’m grateful to have these humans as mediums to remind me that they are there.
My mind: I learned a lot about how I talk to myself this year. I learned that I can go from thinking I’m awesome to really punishing myself when things don’t go as I planned. So I know that more self-awareness and gratitude are required going into next year.
8. How did I show up for the people I care about?
I know that I do a good job of being there for family and friends on special occasions, but that I could make more effort in reaching out to them without waiting for the invitation. Someone close to me wanted me to go on a getaway for the weekend with friends, and I declined because I refused to have the trip paid for. This was another case of self-punishing when it may have been more impactful for all of us if I just gave in and came. I can already feel my intuition guiding me in these kinds of ways, so I hope to make better decisions for myself and for others next year.
9. What situations triggered fear or discomfort? Did I move through them? If so, how? If not, why not?
Back to #4 and 5, business definitely brought on fear and discomfort. I moved through them by asking for help and for deciding to stick it out. I created a plan and am doing my best to stick to it. It’s not always easy, but I believe that the best things in life don’t come easy either.
I also did two speaking engagements, which are still not my favourite thing. But I noticed a lot of progress in that I was less nervous and felt less bodily sensations before and during each presentation. I got good feedback from the audience at the second instance, and I’m proud of myself for saying YES and monitoring my progress.
10. Which rituals and habits served me well and which ones didn’t?
Meditation. Saying YES to every invitation from family, friends, and Leo to spend time with them. Our one weekend trip to Portland. Leo and I started hiking this year, and I started to go on flower walks after being told that I need to appreciate flowers more. I took part in The Great Sandwich Make earlier this year, attended my first environmental rally with 350.org and gave out meals in the DTES. I also enjoyed (as much as you can enjoy) experiencing a 24-hour famine in support of #BeingHungrySucks and seeing what it might be like for people living in the DTES.
As for habits that don’t serve me well, negative self-talk is something I must still work on.
