2020 was the year

Earlier this month, my friend Claire Parsons and I led a webinar for our community we called Mindful Momentum.  Together we walked through 4 strategies to stop planning for the worst and start enjoying our lives right where we are:  find where you’re stuck, practice mindfulness, stop postponing your current needs, and create a positive vision for the future.

(You can find the PDF printable with prompts related to all of the strategies at www.essentiallychip.com/decisions.)

I heard from our audience that one of the most impactful prompts from the session was to reframe our story from 2020, rather than call it a wash and count down the days until it’s over.  Instead, we can revisit the year from a bird’s eye view to see what we’ve learned and how we have transformed.  To help find where we’re stuck so we can move forward. I challenged everyone to notice all the things you did even when the world was upside down.  What you accomplished, what you neglected, what you finished, and what you begin.

Writing your story for 2020 will help you notice what you want to continue and what you’re ready to let go of.   It’s a powerful way to prepare for a new year with a mindset for intentional growth.  And it’s easy.

Begin with a simple prompt:  “2020 was the year I…” and start making a list. What do you notice from this story that you want to keep, and what do you want to change? 

Here’s mine:

2020 was the year I spent more time with my kids than I ever wanted to and transformed our relationship. 

2020 was the year I stopped doing yoga after many years. 

2020 was the year I renovated our attic into an office space. 

2020 was the year I didn’t see my parents. 

2020 was the year I drank too much wine as a buffer. 

2020 was the year I started a business.  

2020 was the year I become more comfortable in my own skin.

2020 was the year I let my kids roam a little farther, watch a little more TV, and eat a lot of Goldfish.

2020 was the year I started cooking again.

2020 was the year I stopped holding back.

2020 was the year I learned I need time to myself:  to work, to think, to rest.

2020 was the year I went on solo hikes in the woods.

2020 was the year I yelled, cried, and begged.

2020 was the year I bought enough stuff on Amazon to start my own preschool.

2020 was the year I learned to build a website, run an email marketing campaign, and manage business expenses.

2020 was the year I went gangbusters on LinkedIn and pulled back on Instagram.

2020 was the year I made a lot of new friends virtually and only saw a few old ones in real life.

2020 was the year I learned to hold some boundaries.

2020 was the year I applied for a job, turned it down, and reimagined meaningful work right where I am.

2020 was the year I started a journey to radical self-love and self-acceptance.

2020 was the year I sometimes felt scared, lonely, and tired.

2020 was the year I felt relieved, connected, and joyful.

I see so much transformation in this story, right out of the ashes in a way I never saw coming.  I celebrate that!  And I see also many possibilities for growth in this list, when I think ahead to my goals for 2021. 

When you write your story, what do you see? 

Send me a note at lauraschipman@gmail.com  and let me know what you discover.  I’m cheering for you!