Who else is celebrating that 2020 is behind us?
Last year was no easy endeavor as most of us were forced to shift, change, or implement new approaches to keep our businesses, teams and initiatives afloat. With many inconveniences, discomforts, changes and disappointments, ask yourself:
- How have I handled these realities?
- How have they impacted my work and life?
- Do I have the energy I need for 2021?
When I need inspiration or guidance, I turn to audible books and podcasts for enlightenment and energy. By doing this, I stumbled on this game-changing perspective: “This is happening for me, rather than this is happening to me.” This simple shift has altered my outlook. It has even created an increased desire in me to explore my reactions, viewpoints and my approach to work and life.
Emily Bennington’s book, “Miracles at Work: Turning Inner Guidance into Outer Influence,” extends the impact of these words by bringing attention to our self-awareness, energy and the level our of response in each moment. Her words have helped me recognize when I am working from a place of anxiety, judgments, comparisons, or fear. Her insights remind us to ask, “Why am I afraid or feel less?”
Through this work, and from many other bodies of information, it seems that we have two choices. We can live in love, or live in fear. Our fear-based society likes us to feel like the victim, with the viewpoint of things happening to us rather than for us.
So, what words do you choose — “to us,” or “for us”? Our internal dialog of fear or love carries into all of our interactions. In fact, how we give feedback, or how we engage with others, is often aligned with the abundance (love) or restlessness (fear) that we feel inside ourselves. The situations and people we encounter can act as triggers or lessons for us to increase our awareness by providing opportunities to work through our life lessons.
As you think about your work, recent events, life situations and the pandemic, how are you showing up? Are you sharing love, support and understanding with your co-workers, your subordinates, the delivery people, store clerks, support staff and others? Or have you used the current situation to share fear, disappointment, worry and discontent?
Ask yourself: Am I standing on the side of fear with a scarcity mindset, or on the side of love with an abundance mindset?
Yes, we could wait for a change in circumstances. Or, we could practice sharing more love and less judgment, more support than criticism, more acceptance than ejections. As you start 2021, reflect on how your perspective has shifted and what new levels of awareness you now have in your life.
Here is what I am bringing into 2021.
- Remember to find joy in simple things.
- Prioritize what is important.
- Recognize my interpretation of events and exchanges.
- Be grateful for the brave people who work the front lines.
How will you use this new awareness to cultivate the momentum and impact that you desire in 2021?
JJ DiGeronimo is President of Tech Savvy Women
