PERSONAL NOTE

Well, I have to tell you that I never would have guessed that my November would have included a hospital stay and surgery.  We never know what is in store for us. I am still dealing with some temporary life restrictions, however, I'm too feisty to stay down long.  Several months ago I signed up to walk a 10K in January so I will see if my body is up to it.

Thank you again for all of your get well wishes, it means more than I can express.  

I hope you all have an amazing holiday season, whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa, enjoy your traditions and your loved ones. 

ARTICLE

Celebrate, Reflect, and Plan by Jan Cerasaro

In just 16 days we will be ringing in the New Year and turning the final page for 2022.  This is the perfect time to start looking to the new year and what you want to create.  It is a time to celebrate, reflect, and plan for 2023 if you haven't already started that process.  So, let's take a look at those 3 parts separately.

Celebrate 2022, I'm not referring to the holiday celebrations which are separate from this.  Especially in the USA, we look at what we need to do today or tomorrow and give very little thought to what we have already accomplished.  We rarely bask in the glow of our achievements and the progress we have made.  While you don't want to get stuck in the past it is important to acknowledge what you have done, learned, and how you have helped make this world a better place.  You may be pleasantly surprised at everything you have done in 2022.  I do this review yearly and sometimes every six months and I am always amazed that I have done more than I thought I had.

Take out your calendar and start with January of 2022, where did you go, what projects did you complete, who did you meet with, did you do some volunteer work or contribute to the community?  Write down each thing as you go through your calendar month by month.  You will have a lot of revelations as you do this and get to enjoy some of the memories once again. You may find yourself thinking things like "Oh, that's right I forgot about that" and "That was so much fun".  It is certainly possible that there might be something on your list that was a challenge so celebrate that you made it through and did the best you could with the situation.  As humans, we underestimate what we can do over a long period of time and grossly overestimate what we can accomplish in a short time.  Give yourself a pat on the back for accomplishing and contributing so much more than you thought.

Reflect on your list.  You hear the phrase Life Balance a lot in conversation.  Once you have finished your list one thing you will notice is how balanced your life was this past year.  Did you accomplish things at work, spend time with family and friends, take a vacation, do some volunteer work, participate in some sports or other physical activities, and finally get that estate planning done?  It will be very easy to see if your year was well-balanced or if areas of your life were neglected.  This brings us to the 3rd part of our topic Plan.

Plan and by that I mean for you to create a Life Plan for 2023.  So many times when you think about creating a plan it may focus on just one or two categories of your life.  What I am referring to here is balance.  If you don't plan to have balance in your life it will be difficult to create it. 

Some of the categories to consider would be:

• financial security
• friends and family
• health/fitness
• home/work environment
• job/business
• love/romance
• personal growth
• recreation

So, as you reflect on your 2022 list are there areas you want to put more attention on, people you want to see more often?  What do you want your list to look like at the end of 2023?  Remember this is not a dress rehearsal, we only get to live each day one time, then it's history.  Spend some time planning, visualizing 2023, and daydreaming like when you were a kid. Then, and most important of all, write down your plan so it doesn't get lost in your thoughts. Also, know that you can revise your plan if needed because this is your plan no one else's.  This just skims the surface so if you want to talk one-on-one schedule a Discover New Possibilities call so I can help you create your plan. 

COOL RESOURCE

As a gift to you here is a link to my Set Your Compass - Annual Coaching Exercise to help you celebrate 2022, reflect, and plan for 2023.  Print this out and use this as a guide.  Here's to all you have accomplished and your plans for 2023!!  

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Please let me know if there are particular items you would like me to cover in upcoming newsletters.  Just email me at jancerasaro@yccbe.com

Stay safe, healthy, and happy!

Coach Jan