2016 was a year I was happy to leave in the books. Life had dealt some pretty hard cards, ones that at times were hard to stomach. My heart was often left grappling, gripping with faith, and wondering where faithfulness and obedience wasn’t going to come at such a high cost.
2017 was full of things I didn’t do. But more than anything it was one where I am proud. Proud of the ways I’ve moved forward, proud of the resilience I’ve displayed, and am always amazed by the tenacity of the human spirit.
This year our business saw great success. We began to see that the previous years work was seen and honored by our community. Ever year I spend the last few days of the holiday reflecting and asking for goals for the next year. I set my eyes on Q1 and begin to blaze a trail. Last year I simply asked myself, what if? What if the impossible could happen in my life? What if these gross numbers were what I was intended to meet? What if I truly could meet these financial goals? I’m proud to say they were crushed this year and exceeded by October.
This year was another year where realized dreams have happened. There were moments in the past year where I’ve pinched myself and watched items on a list be crossed off. I purchased a car in cash, crushed a service goal of 5-figures, and traveled to Australia. (As I purchased the dream car, I imagined myself walking in with briefcases of cash like in Breaking Bad.) As much as I achieved and climbed, bounced back, and moved forward, there are still moments of the things I didn’t do.
What are they? I didn’t buy the house or find the forever mate. As I look back on my 20s it’s been a wild decade. One where when things were up they were really up, and when things were down they were really down. More than anything I’ve found that the things I come back to at the end of the year are the moments where I wasn’t relationally the best I could be. The moments where I wasn’t as kind and loving to the world as I might have desired. The moments where I showed up but found lack of connection and driving through my personal task list to be more important. I find that when I’m doing great professionally, my personal life usually could use so more. This year has been no different. As I reflect at year end I’m finding that there is health and joy in knowing what I want to improve.
Letting go. It’s a great feeling.
What are you letting go of in 2017?