My stock-take ritual

Hello Lovely,

I hope this email finds you well-rested and feeling good on this final day of the year. As we approach a new year, now is a great time to take stock of all of your achievements and highlights from the past twelve months! I'm coming into your inbox today to share with you my annual ritual of reflection.

I swear by this exercise, because once you know where you've been and how far you've come, the goals you set for the coming year will feel so much more possible. I encourage you to celebrate these wins, and give yourself a hug for the challenges.

There's a certain level of clarity you get when you look back at your year in detail, acknowledge your progress, and take a moment to re-experience it all. To take stock, I simply look at dates in my calendar, photos on my phone, and look around my home for newness or totems of my achievements.

This exercise is especially powerful for assessing things that are trackable. You can look at your fitness apps to see how many miles you've clocked this year, your bank account to see how much money you've made/saved, and email confirmations from charities you've supported to add up how much you've donated this year.

I like to make three lists in the following categories when reflecting on the past year:

Achievements
Improvements
Highlights (these are usually fun or loved-up moments)
Challenges

Here are some of my examples from my lists for 2021!

Achievements
- I wrote my book List Yourself Happy and it launched across the world!
- Got lots of coverage in the press / on radio / online
- Delivered dozens of successful events for my clients

Improvements
- we had our bathroom redecorated
- gave myself a well-deserved raise
- hired a new fantastic accountant who I love working with

Highlights
- I bought a Pigcasso painting to support Farm Sanctuary SA
- went to 3 hen dos and 3 weddings, had a blast
- went on a romantic trip to Paris with my husband

Challenges
- I broke my big toe (still recovering)
- all the pandemic-related stress, including getting Covid at Christmas
- our new car got vandalised, ugh!

I know that I am fortunate that my challenges were so 'light' this year, because last year this was not the case. My gratitude is through the roof for 2021 - one of the many benefits of making these lists every year.

I'd love to hear your examples from these categories, feel free to join and share them in our private Facebook group.

I hope this exercise leaves you feeling inspired and more positive about the year ahead. Next week I'll be sharing with you how I set goals and achieve them with little to no stress. Ahhhhhh...

Love,
Jess xxx