Life (& 4 Lessons Learned in 2024)
I don’t know how to encapsulate the last year in any sort of succinct way other than to say, it was FULL of personal and professional growth in about a million (mostly unexpected) ways.
The year had some amazing, incredible, and truly tender moments for which I am endlessly grateful. And I definitely invited myself (and was invited by the universe) into a more conscious, expanded, and even embodied, version of myself.
But it also felt a little like I took my life like a handbag and shook it upside down to clear it out.
And start fresh.
Which maybe isn’t the worst thing?
No let me try that again:
Which is NOT the worst thing.
In fact, it’s been kind of amazing in a hard and delicious way. Because when the handbag is truly empty, you get a chance to decide what you’re keeping and throwing back in. Don’t you?
Anyways, enough with the handbag metaphor. Suffice to say, I feel the planets have shifted, everything is on an upswing, and we’re all absolutely going to crush this year.
And since my journey of self discovery has been OFF THE CHARTS this last year, it’s brought me to a place where I have no doubt about my capacity to support you as you build your dreams.
My capacity to hold space, hold you accountable, and help you break through your fears and patterns has expanded in the midst of all my personal work, and I can’t wait to get started with you on your own journey.
We all need a mirror and a hand to hold (but more on that below) 💕
Book a free coffee chat if you want to talk about the next steps in your own journey!
Back to the task at hand: what did all this handbag shaking reveal to me about life and what lessons am I holding on to?
#1 - No one can teach you how to win at life if they’re not honestly and at every turn attempting to shine a mirror back at you about who you are.
And in a genuinely not self-serving way, what I mean is, we all need a coach or mentor that can help us see more of who we are, instead of suggesting how to change who we are to be different.
Because a life built on shoulds or lists of tasks or checklists isn’t going to bring out your brilliance, your uniqueness, your magic and your truths.
I’ve known this, I’ve talked about this, but this year I really downloaded this lesson. Everyone wants to help and means well. And that’s lovely.
But what we need is people who will not let us stay small, even when we’re finding all the right reasons (ahem, excuses) to do so.
So I guess what I’m saying is, find support where people want you to be MORE OF YOU and less of them.
Don’t look for formulas, look for invitations to know yourself more deeply and become everything you’re meant to be in this one precious life.
#2 - We are the sum of our community.
Someone recently reminded me of the quote “you are most like the 5 people closest to you” and I realized, I don’t know whether I like it and agree or not.
I think the people around us definitely influence us - that’s pretty indisputable. But I think more than the influence of their person on our person, we should be recognizing the influence of having people in our world.
Loneliness, disconnection, these are the silent killers. People talk about friendship and community like they’re separate things from their goals, but they’re not.
No one can do it all alone. We all need support. We all need a friend, coach, mentor, someone who sees us (refer back to #1 above).
Connection is fundamental to everything. It is the pillar of our health, our joy, our fulfillment. You can try to do it alone. But you’ll never get as far as you will with someone holding your hand or giving you a little kick in the arse and telling you to get a move on (both are required in their own times 😉)
I wrote more about finding - and building - community here if you want to check it out…
#3 - Things move quickly when you stop the spinning and get clear on what you want.
Call it the power of manifestation, a dream life script, visualization, or embodiment (honestly, I call it a combo of ALL of these) but the minute you can truly believe that what you want is available to you, the universe will throw it at you quite quickly.
But wait, I said the minute you can truly believe it. How do you do that?
You have to spend the time uncovering what the things you most want are - and understanding deeply not only WHY you want them, but ensuring you can build your belief in your ability to have them.
In short? You have to work at it. Get clear and then get started. Take a small step in the direction of the goal and notice how you feel. Then take another step, each time with more confidence - and a clearer direction.
Don’t just set it and forget it (because it won’t work). Create a feedback loop with yourself by getting curious, course correcting, and maintaining your forward momentum.
#4 - Happiness is a choice and it can feel paradoxical when we’re standing in a mountain of our own chaos and change.
But it’s not paradoxical. Life can be hard and you can be happy. Deciding those are mutually exclusive is a choice. Opt out.
Our brains CAN hold seemingly opposing realities at the same time and you don’t have to force yourself into just one belief. That way only serves to keep you stuck repeating patterns.
Let the personal development work be hard and exciting. Let taking time off to rest feel uncomfortable (at first) and be the thing that creates comfort. Let movement be necessary and rewarding. Let it all exist.
By allowing yourself permission for it all, you can expand your capacity to hold what’s true for you - and THAT is what true freedom feels like.
What will you do differently this year, to enable yourself to step fully - and finally - into the path of your wildest dreams?
Leave a comment and let me know - I'm curious as all get out about what you're planning!