2023 Successes & 2024 Intentions

The new year always brings a sense of hope and excitement. I love that feeling! Every year in January I seem to organically press into what this new year might look like and how the year will unfold.

I also have tendencies to reflect on the past year, running through the events that shaped the year and primarily how I am better for them.

I also send up a few prayers of thankfulness for how I made it through the difficult events that transpired and even though I can see how they made me a better person, I’m thankful they are over. Acknowledging my hardships somehow makes me feel like I can bring closure, and closure is a great feeling, especially with difficult things.

I do love this time to reflect. I think it’s such a powerful exercise.

Today I’d like to share with you some specifics of my past experiences in 2023 and my thoughts about my future in 2024. I hope that as you read my thoughts and hear about my experiences it might evoke similar emotions and relatability inside yourself.

We are very similar. I’m sure of it. So… here I go!

One of the best books I read in 2023 was called The Gap and the Gain by Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy. Phenomenal read and highly recommended for anyone wanting to gain a new perspective on your life and how we view our successes. You can get a copy of the book here. (No, I don’t have sponsorship with this book. I just genuinely love it and want to share it with you.)

In this book, I learned that my natural mind would default every time to seeing all the ways I failed, all the ways I didn’t accomplish what I wanted, and all the ways I fell short. This leaves me with a void in my spirit and a constant internal fight for contentment and happiness.

I didn’t need a book to tell me these things. I have fought these battles in lack of contentment and searching for happiness all on my own many times over. However, having someone tell me that I am doing a very human nature thing that most people are hardwired to do, made me feel just a little bit better.

The coolest thing I found in my reading was how the teachings in this book shed light on how success should be measured by what I DID accomplish! I know right, what a concept!

If I look at the past year of 2023 and evaluate all the good and the hard, measuring it up to my original goals and intentions from when the year started, I can see HUGE progress. Looking at my successes, I saw how I succeeded in FAR GREATER WAYS than I even realized. I also failed FAR LESS than my mind had tricked me into feeling when I measured through this concept of The Gain. The value I found in reframing my thinking has been huge!

I’ll let the book be the real teacher for you but for now, I just wanted to shed light on this idea because it has been so impactful for me. Honestly, I see it as such a gift to view my life and my successes differently. And I am always looking for ways to improve my mindset. This one was a WINNER!

Usually, in my writings to you, I talk about ways to help and inspire your parenting journey, but today it seems it’s all about me, and you (the parent).

I think this is good actually! Hopefully will be an inspiration to you that it’s okay to put parenting aside sometimes and focus on yourself. When you are a better person for yourself, you become a better parent for your kids.

Something you may not have known about me is that in the past, I struggled with depression on and off for years. I was medically diagnosed with depression three different times and found relief through medication. It's dark and lonely inside myself when depression hits. It can feel like a whirlpool of emotions that seem to take over. No matter where you turn, things are just dark, VERY DARK.

I am thankful for the medication I was on when I needed it. I’m thankful for the doctors who helped me along the way. I’m thankful for my natural path Drs which helped me create a better lifestyle so I could overcome depression for good, leaving it in my past for almost a full decade now.

Why am I sharing with you about my depression?

Well, one reason is because I know that many people can relate. And for myself, even when I’m not in depression, sometimes it can be hard to stay out of a negative mindset. Negativity can happen so easily, without even realizing I’m doing it.

I remember as a mother, it was really difficult when I was struggling with depression. Honestly, I wasn’t a very good mother during those times. When I think about those seasons of my life, I often struggle with feeling guilty. I feel guilty for being physically and emotionally absent from my kids. My problems were so BIG that I had a hard time seeing or tending to their needs. I felt guilty for things I wish I could go back to and do differently.

Now when I remember those things, I choose to move quickly out of the guilt space. I easily pull my thoughts to the current season of my life and am reminded very quickly about the rich relationships I have with my sons. No harm done and sometimes it’s a good reminder that even though I live with intention, it’s not about being perfect. Sometimes in life, we face hard things and that doesn’t mean I’m a bad parent. (The same goes for you.)

My depression and negative feelings have created in me a tendency to see my success with a glass half full.

Although, even during the deepest parts of my negativity, I’ve always sensed my perspective was flawed. The struggle to find a more accurate perspective is something I’ve been learning over the years. I believe through this book that one more piece to that puzzle of moving my life forward with an accurate perspective is being able to evaluate things based on my GAINS.

All that to say, when I look back at 2023, I see so much personal goodness.

I see huge growth with boundaries in some of my relationships.

I see huge growth in how I make decisions.

I see huge growth in how to run an online business from the technical side of things to the creativity required.

I have seen huge growth in how to show up in the world and let people see the real me.

I see huge growth in my ability to walk more confidently in areas I know are right for me

I see huge growth in making exercise and nature a priority (which are things I have always loved but at times didn’t keep them a priority)

I see huge growth in my relationships with my sons. Each one of us is very different than we were a year ago and we now have one more year stacked in our favor of rich and meaningful relationships.

I see huge growth in letting my voice be heard and speaking with POWER.

I see huge growth in how I evaluate my wins and losses.

I see huge growth in living a happy and fulfilling life!

I could sit here and list off several more things… oh, so good!

Over the last week, I’ve unplugged from social media and people in general. I enjoy having quiet time and hibernating… feeds my soul!

But now I’m back with a new energy and vigor for the year 2024 and I couldn’t be more excited!

As I think about this new year and the excitement brewing inside, I have a few intentions I want to share with you.

1.       I plan to produce at least 2 more video courses this year with the first one being launched towards the end of March, focusing all about teens!

2.       I plan to continue my health journey and get my body into the best physical shape I’ve been in for my adult life. I already started my journey with new intentions in September of last year and I’m so excited to see the continued progress.

3.       I plan to build a robust blog to be a resource for parents to find real tangible answers and help in all areas of parenting.

4.       This year is full of transitions in our house, and I plan to help my two older sons get settled on their own in new and exciting ways as they continue to embrace their adult lives.

5.       Plus, I have a few other big things brewing!!!

If you like, you’re welcome to join in the fun and write down some reflection points about last year. What was good? What was hard? What are three highlights that moved you forward in this beautiful journey of life that you are on?

Now ponder the new year. What are some things you are looking forward to? What are some of your goals or intentions? How do you plan to step into those intentions and work at them?

If possible, keep a journal that you can use year after year to write down these answers. I’ve done this for years now and I can’t tell you how cool it is to look back three, five, and ten years ago. Things I would have forgotten have become valuable timelines that have shaped my life.

Lastly, as far as this parenting journey that you are on, remember that just being present with your kids, doing the best you can, and giving yourself grace is ALWAYS an incredible place to come back to and stand on.

As we continue to challenge ourselves to grow and desire to do better, today is a great day to just be, and not have to strive for anything. Be still, remember there is grace for the journey, and that you are enough.

If you want to do a special activity with your kids, take these questions listed above and discuss them over a family dinner. Go through the questions together and see what comes up for each of you.

I always do this about once or twice a year and it’s a fun way to see what my kids share. I often learn things I didn’t realize were so important to my sons and they get to hear my heart as well. This is a great way to build a lighthearted connection, which is pure fun!

I hope you have a wonderful evening!

I’m signing off, heading to the kitchen to make some yummy BBQ hamburgers, grilled veggies, and roasted potatoes for my growing piranha kids!

Much love,

Angela