The end of the year is a fertile time to pause, breathe, and take stock of the last 12 months before visioning for 2024 and beyond. It’s easy to get swept up in the busyness of life and operate on autopilot, but creating intentional space to reflect and reset for the coming year is an opportunity to connect with yourself and evaluate whether you’re living a life that’s true to your values. I invite you to reimagine what work and life can be—and it begins with defining success on your own terms.
Redefine success. The traditional model of success looks something like this: get that job. Earn that amount of money. Buy that house. But what does success mean to you? Bust out the butcher’s paper and coloured pens, and begin by answering these questions:
- What does success look like in the realms of wellbeing, family and social life, work, and hobbies?
- How do you want to spend your time day-to-day and week-to-week?
- What does financial success look like?
- What is your barometer of success? To measure success, you need to know what indicates you’re on the right track.
Connect with your why. Over time, we can lose sight of our underlying purpose—especially when we’ve been navigating challenging circumstances for a while. Create space to discover or reconnect with your why. For a deeper dive into the motivations behind your creative practice, join our Find Your Why masterclass—it asks some tough questions and shares some tough love to help you regroup, regain, and revive your creative and professional life.
Reflect on the year that has been. Dial up the self-compassion and curiosity as you take an honest look at the last twelve months. Here are some prompts for you:
- What do you want more of?
- What do you want less of?
- How did you feel most of this year?
- How do you want to feel most of the time next year?
- What areas of your life do you need (or want) more support? What does this support look like in practical terms?
Create a To-Be list before your To-Do list. Earlier this year, I had the pleasure of interviewing productivity and performance coach Elana Robertson for our Find Your Flow webinar. Many of her pearls of wisdom stayed with me, but one in particular: she suggests starting your day with a To-Be list. A To-Be list focuses on the qualities you want to have and how you want to show up in your day—for example, you might want to feel grounded and calm, or perhaps energised and confident. Importantly, what actions, habits, and routines support you to embody this way of being?
Dial up the self-care. The idea of self-care often conjures images of indulgent bubble baths and binging our comfort shows on Netflix. While this can be part of it, the self-care I’m talking about here isn’t so surface-level. Set boundaries. Make time for things that bring you pleasure each day. Rest deeply and often. Self-care is not something to be relegated to the bottom of your to-do list—it’s vital for your wellbeing, creativity, and professional output. Your wellbeing is cultivated through intentional actions you take each day, and when you’re rested and resourced, you’re more resilient and better able to navigate the complexities of life and business.
As we move through the liminal space between the end of one year and the beginning of another, it’s the perfect time to begin planting seeds of change that will support us to feel—and be—our best. Looking forward, I’m holding my vision of success close: a regulated nervous system, spotting stingrays at the wharf, and the privilege of lazing in my hammock engrossed in a book at midday. I’d love to hear about yours.
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