January Renewal
Andrea in profile sitting on the floor. She’s wearing a gold and white patterned yoke sweater and voluminous pale orange pants with narrow stripes.
Renewal
Every January I take the time to do a formal reflection on the previous year and a plan for the next year. I’ve been doing this for years, but I always forget how powerful it can be. It’s an opportunity for me to renew and refresh, to refocus on what I care about, and to clarify what I hope for. I ask myself questions that are specific to being a business person like which products were profitable last year, what didn’t work out, and which marketing methods were successful. But most of the questions are about how I feel about my life, what kind of work is exciting to me, and how I can have day-to-day experiences that bring me joy.
I’ve been thinking lately about how all things require renewal. I need these moments of pausing and reconsidering and recommitting in order to have the most fulfilling life and business possible. Losing sight of my goals, getting bogged down in daily tasks, and feeling a little lost isn’t failing. It’s just part of the cycle. January’s remind me to come back around to the beginning of the circle again. I’m not trying to set resolutions, but I do find empowerment in stating my intentions, my hopes, my goals, and my wishes. So I’m taking a deep breath and deciding to just begin again.
One note: This practice is intentionally self-focused. It’s about paying attention to my own experience and reconsidering how I want to be present in the world, both personally and as a business person. It’s also vital to look outward at what’s happening in the world (and I acknowledge that what’s happening in the world right now is overwhelming and important), but this post is about internal renewal.
If you’re curious about what questions I am asking myself this year, I’ve listed some of them below. You might find it enjoyable to ask yourself the same ones, adapting them to your own circumstances.
2020 Reflection
• What are you most proud of from 2020?
• What do you love about your life?
• Imagine spending time on each of the tasks/projects you've been doing for your business and pay attention to how each one feels. What makes you feel joyful and excited? What fills you with dread?
• What do you wish you'd done more or less of in 2020?
• What's a tool or system you used that really worked well for you?
2021 Planning
• What's your intention for 2021? Try to say it in one short sentence.
• Name a few things or projects you want to focus on for 2021.
• Name a few things you won't be repeating from 2020 in 2021. What don't you want to be doing?
• How are you going to take care of yourself in 2021 so that your day-to-day life is as fulfilling as possible while avoiding stress as much as possible?
I originally took the photo above as a regular outfit post, but it felt so contemplative that it seemed perfect for this blog entry. It’s totally romanticized, but I like to imagine that’s how I look when I’m thinking deep thoughts. Since it’s an outfit pic, I do have to say that the sweater is my cropped Dissent Pullover in Julie Asselin yarns and the pants are from Maiwa in Vancouver.
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