Happy New Year Reader!

I'm popping in here to share a few thoughts at the start of 2024. Do you do the whole New Year's Resolution thing?

I used to excel at making, and breaking them. I know I'm not alone in failing to keep resolutions, but most people will keep them up for at least a few months. With with my short attention span, I would move on to something new and "forget" them within a week or two. 😆

Then a few years ago, I discovered that choosing a FOCUS WORD was an attainable and therefore much more successful way to work on self-improvement. I found that I could participate in the cultural ritual without immediately feeling like a loser.

Now at the beginning of every year, I post my word on the wall in my home office, where I'll see it every day. Adopting this strategy has been helpful, especially as I navigated my second divorce.

Over the past 3 years of grief and loss, my FOCUS WORDS ~ BREATHE, PRESENCE & JOY ~ were my saving grace. They've had an amazing effect on my mood and acted as the foundation or corner stone for my life. As I emerge from the cloud of grief, I'm able to look back and see the growth and progress I've made, despite the major life setbacks.

Looking both inward and forward, I decided to up my game and go with a FOCUS PHRASE for 2024. In a somewhat meta turn, I've chosen to work on the weakness that makes keeping resolutions difficult. I thought long and hard about the reasons why I struggle with finishing what I start, and what I could do to strengthen and train myself to do better. I realized that not everything I start goes unfinished. In fact, the majority of my projects eventually get done, just not on my original timeline. I will often have multiple, complex things going on, and yet I'll continue to take on new work and start new projects, leading to fractured focus and overwhelm. So I decided on this phrase:

~ ONE AT A TIME ~

My hope is that it will help me break that pattern, decrease the additional stress I usually heap onto my plate and improve my focus. If I can adopt the finishing touch, who knows? Maybe next year I'll be able to make actual resolutions!

Wait...no...one at a time Traci, one thing at a time!

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I'd love to know your thoughts and what you do at the beginning of the year. If you're interested in connecting and/or learning more from me I can usually be found in one of these places:

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​ LinkedIn ​

​ The Refined Business Blueprint ​

​ My Website ​

​ Instagram ​

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Cheers,

Traci

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