A Slow Start is Still a Start

Happy New Year!

Hitting the reset button on a full 365 days always feels a little exhilarating to me. I'm always struck with the quadruple fresh start - week, month, quarter, year. 

Some years that exhilaration propels me forward into action, and other years it stops me in my tracks. 2022 was the former, 2023 is the latter. It's as if the roller coaster pulled into the station, jerked to a stop and the attendant said "would you like to ride this one again, Miss? Or move up to the next level?"

What?

Don't get me wrong - I'm not quitting, leaving or stopping. I'm still the rhythms based planner, gentle accountability group coach, core values champion and unapologetic freedom seeker you've come to know. But a good "Fresh Start" is definitely on the docket. Usually by this time, I have my "Word of the Year" picked out, business plans created, and some kind of system in place or in development to accomplish said plans.

Not this year.

Right now, it looks like I've got nothing. 

You with me?

I know you just might be, because I'm seeing this pop up ALL over the internet. Social media, email lists, blog posts... There are at least as many people in my shoes as there are those who "have it all together" in January, 2023.

I find this fascinating and validating. Did we all just hit 2022 so hard because we needed to run fast and far from the constraints of the pandemic and there's nothing left in the tank? Or is this just a normal pattern in my life and business, one that I'm working my way through?

If I'm honest, it's a little of both. 

2022 was a big year for me. My first "full" year as an entrepreneur, dedicating all of my time to working with clients and content creation really did have me running on empty by December. The good news, however, is that all the foundations are solid!

I may not have a word or a plan yet, but I'm entering 2023 more convinced than ever, that personal growth truly begins with understanding my Core Values and that Intentional Optimism is a lifestyle choice in which I honor those core values as I live out my purpose and goals. 

I'm entering 2023 with hope and confidence in who I am, what I've created and what I offer. 

I'm entering 2023 Optimistic.

How about you? 

Are you all "worded up," planned out and rip roarin' ready to go?

Or, are you entering 2023 on the platform with me, ready to say "yes, please, I'd like to move up to the next level?"

Both are good.

Both will get you to a whole new place by the end of the year. 

Both are full of hope and confidence - Optimism.

No matter which camp you're in this January, you're in the right place. The work now, is to understand your own expectations, and determine whether or not you're giving yourself the grace you need to decide if you want to "ride this one again, or move up to the next level."

I'm intrigued with what this year will bring, especially as I start it off slowly.